Playing with fire

[Peyton]

I just found out that my step son who is coming to live with us seems to have a problem with lighting fires. Obviously, this makes me very nervous. I have no idea what could be compelling him to do this. Is there help out there for this sort of behavior?

 

[MelvinB]

I haven't heard of this condition before. Just keep all fire-starting equipment safely locked away before he arrives. But there's still one problem- how do you hide the stove? Just keep a tight watch on him.

 

[Johnson]

It's called pyromania and it is pretty common with kids especially. You could seek some family counseling. Most likely there is another reason behind it that is troubling him.

 

[chelly]

How old is he now and when did this start? I would be a little worried but more importantly I would want to sit down and find out the reason behind it before anything else. See if the child is level headed or just doing what some kids do (play with matches, candles, figure out how it works and leave it).

 

[MikeWay]

There are certain types of therapy for it. I would be very worried as well. I would make sure to take all fire starting devices and accelerants out of reach and double check the kids luggage.

 

[badge67]

If it's curiosity, you can discuss fire danger and even bring him to a local Fire Department to speak with some of the guys about fire safety. If it's deeper than that, I would get him in counseling immediately.

 

[Peyton]

Thanks for the input everyone As soon as he gets here we're taking him to a psychiatrist to be reevaluated. He's been seeing doctors for a few years at his father's house, but the diagnoses are all over the board, so we need to get some firm answers. The fire fascination is only a small part of the problem, but hopefully they will be able to address it and get him to stop. It's just such a scary thought that this kid could burn my house down one night.