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The Bell

 I just installed a bell on her door. Loud and high and hung to be easily rung. 

She told me that she regularly (2 out of 3 nights) sneaks out of her room to eavesdrop on us talking so she knows what's coming so she, "can plan to do naughty things". I am quoting her. 

She's a sociopath. She is, right? What six yr old is so enthralled with being devious that they lay awake and plan for it?

This is why I have no hope for a normal future. 

Everything happened so clearly. Tues - visit with therapist; good. Wed-Sat - still good. Hugs and happiness all day long. Sunday - surprise call by Aunt I didn't have time to prep her for but that I naively thought might be okay since she was doing so well. Mon-Wed - baby talking; little lies; hyper vigilant and tense. I could feel the slow slide into abnormal starting. Wed night - sneaking out of her room; really defiant. Thur - lies and getting caught doing something naughty (she let the dog eat food that caused the dog to vomit, then lied). 

This is her cycle. All good and then...baby talking, isolating herself from the others, just being annoying in a million subtle ways that puts everyone on edge. I've come to see this as a major alert. It's unconscious, I truly do think. She's in an altered state of mind when she starts the baby talking. She's in a whole other mood. 

I seriously think she's bi-polar and slipping between totally different personalities. She never stutters when she baby talks. She stutters a lot when she's facing consequences. She talks normally in between these two phases. 

So, a bell on her door. And an explanation that it'll stay on there until we can trust her again. (so, in short, it's never coming off)

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