Obsessive Personality Disorder

I don't know if it's a real thing, but if it is, I have it. It displays itself in a few different ways:

Cookies & treats -- when they are in the house, I have no self control. I must eat them. And while I'm in the middle of eating one, I'm thinking about how good another one would be so I grab a second, and so on. After a few I'll stop, and then feel sick. But it doesn't take long for me to pass through the kitchen again and remember how yummy they are. Now this is not true for all sweets. I can easily resist things that are not my favorites. But for the things I really like - for instance yellow cake with chocolate frosting or well-made chocolate chip cookies - I have no defenses. Case in point: Note the full jar on Monday and the empty jar on Friday. This was a double batch! I wish I could say I delivered them to all the neighbors, but I didn't. Scott had a few, Brenden had more than a few, Oliver didn't like them, June ate some crumbs, but by far I ate the majority of them. And I'm so sad they're gone.


Reading -- I've always loved reading. I remember going on our big family vacation to France and spending most of the time reading some Orson Scott Card book. In college I realized I could not read for fun anymore because I neglected the rest of my studies. I would read during school breaks and it was a real treat. Then when I had kids, I would neglect the laundry and the meals and the house and so I decided that had to be the thing in my life I would give up completely. I just don't have any self-control and there are too many other things that need to get done. It's just not my phase of life for reading but I will excitedly take it up again "later in life".


Puzzles & games -- I used to love to do jigsaw puzzles - the big 1000 piece ones. But once I started having dreams of the puzzle pieces floating through space to find each other, I had to stop. I went through a phase playing a lot of Word Whomp on the computer. Ahhh that was a fun game. But then one day I was reading scriptures and realized I was taking the letters in the words I was reading and re-arranging them to make other words. So that had to go.

Recently this one has gotten a little complicated as the lines have been blurred with my desire to be a "good mother". First it was Guitar Hero. I'll admit it was a fun game I enjoyed in and of itself for myself. I would play too much and even by myself late at night. But I was willing to give that up. But then there's Oliver. He can't play the game well enough to make enough money to get the things he wants to buy for his character. So I'd help. I'd play a few songs for him just to make him some money. So see, I was helping him - being a "good mother." But the neglect started creeping in and he started telling me he didn't want any more money. So that had to go.

But now I've discovered something new and once again it's all in the name of helping Oliver. It's the Triple Strike Solitaire game on Webkinz. Wow now that's a fun game. It's quick and easy and methodical and deals with numbers. But I can see what's happening and after tonight, there will be no more. Oliver will have to earn his own Webkinz Dollars just like every other kid. But if you are a Webkinz mom and you don't have the same problems of self-control that I do, then you should totally try it.


Is there anything you've had to cut out of your life because of self-control issues? Am I approaching this the wrong way and running away from the problem rather than facing it?