Gab has Pittakionophobia and that is because I unintentionally planted that fear in him. What is Pittakionophobia? It’s the irrational fear of stickers or sticker labels.
Remove Daddy Please
Gab doesn’t want to touch stickers, tapes, post-it and anything that sticks. He avoids it like a disease. He doesn’t want to get near it. He doesn’t want to see it.
If I put a sticker on my arm, Gab would say “remove”. If I would put a sticker on Quennie’s arm, he would also say “remove”.
If I put a sticker on any part of his body, he would freeze! And in a few seconds, anxiety kicks in and Gab would start to panic. He would beg to have it removed. Quennie would scold me to remove it before Gab can even shed a tear.
There was even a time that he did not cry when his pedia injected him with a vaccine. He cried only after his pedia placed a Band Aid.
A scary look!
It’s OK to be scared
I think its ok for a kid to be scared about something. I can use it to my advantage.
When I was young, they would scare me about aswangs so I will stop doing the thing they don’t want me to do. I can’t use the same tactics with Gab. Aswangs are so 80s.
Right now, if there are things I don’t want Gab to touch or hold, I can simply put a tape or a sticker on it. If I don’t want him to touch and open the door, I can simply put a sticker on the door knob. If I don’t want him to go to the kitchen or oven, I can just put a tape on the kitchen floor.
This too shall pass
Someday Gab may outgrow this phobia. I definitely don’t want him to continue to fear stickers until he reaches adolescence.
So don’t think I’m cruel for giving Gab pittakionophobia.
Right now, I am teaching him that stickers can be used to fix things like his broken toy car, or a torn page of his book. When a sticker fixes his stuff, he finds it ok to be touched.
For Gab to have pittakionophobia sounds funny. But don’t worry, my boy. As you grow up, you’ll realize that stickers and labels will be the least of your worries.
