Being a BIG Balto fan... and getting sent to therapy for it!

Charlie Wolf · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:54 am

This is a true story here, so listen up:
Several years ago, my younger cousin Tyler rented and saw the movie Balto for the very first time in his life at the age of 5. Ever since, he's been absolutely OBSSESSED with it!!!!! First, he started begging his parents for Balto plushes at a department store, getting Balto clothing, and even acquiring some VERY rare, custom-designed Balto wallpaper for his bedroom walls!!!!! Then, later on, he got the two sequels (he had already owned the original since the beginning), began quoting lines from Balto at the family dinner table and elsewhere around and about the house, and even began to act EXACTLY like a dog/wolf as well (which was not just limited to barking and howling out in public and at school, but even to the extent of occasionally going to the BATHROOM like one would, too!!!!!).

Nowadays, his somewhat strictly-minded parents have confiscated ALL items of his even DISTANTLY related to Balto (such as a book simply devoted to explaining the many different breeds of dog there are in good detail), and have also been sending him to a juvenile psychoanalyst (i.e. therapist/pshychiatrist/etc.) on the account that "he's just TOO darn obssessed with that purely immature and highly fictional child's movie!!!" (he IS 13 now, BTW). It's even gotten so bad to the point where he can't even VISIT me anymore simply because they're afraid that "I'll just 'lure' him back to Balto all over again!!!", even though he has already promised that he'll stop acting, quoting, and wearing Balto from now on SEVERAL times now, but they STILL won't let him have even his Balto DVD back yet!!!!!

Now I for one think that all this is absolutely, INSANELY ridiculous in every sense of the word, and think that they should all just accept him for how he is and "let a kid be a kid now already, people; he'll probably grow out of it eventually anyways!!!!!". Even my own parents think that they've taken it a bit too far now with the whole therapy thing and all (which is partially responsible with my currently, ever-presently blatant HATRED of phsychiatrists [ESPECIALLY that old demon-in-disguise, DR. PHIL!!!!!!]), and also think that they should have handled it MUCH better as well than simply overreacting BIGTIME over the whole issue as such.

So then now, guys- what do YOU all think about it all???

-Charlie A. Wolf.

Lux - The Guardian · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 4:11 am

I definitely think his parents could've handled it better. I don't like psychiatrists either, but I am going to therapy every now and then (mostly because of traumatic school memories LOL), but I have to agree with the parents' decision here. If he started acting like one that much, it was a good idea to give him therapy. By the sound of it, I'd call it a personality switch, and that is serious buisness.
Though they should give him his Balto movies back, and just see how he handles it, and then take action accordingly.

The fact that he can't visit you isn't helping at all. A kid of his age needs to socialize with his friends.

Squival · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 1:52 pm

Whilst I admire any openly devoted Balto fan that doesn't have a problem with others knowing about it I would say that perhaps this is a little to far. Not sayin that I think your cousin is the mental ill mate but... ahem, going to the toilet as a dog would?
Hmm that could be worth checkin out. A huge restriction on Balto shouldnt be put in place im not a pyschologist but I cant imagine that being the bext way to get to him. Something did needed to be done though by the sounds of it but maybe the parents could have got invloved more personally with him, as in listened to him and talked to him, not worry at the sidelines.

Although perhaps its best to be getting help for that kind of attitude, but it's likely something to be grown out of he just needed to be taught more on how to act and most importantly self-control.

Denying him Balto though...ouch :/

slayguy86 · **Posted:** Sun Dec 30, 2007 4:29 pm

Only in the United States :roll:

It's perfectly normal for any kid to have an obsession, because they don't have the emotional maturity to stop. This kid's parents should have just let it be, he would have grown out of it at some point.

USMC Wolf · **Posted:** Mon Dec 31, 2007 1:28 am

Well thats a interesting story. I'll admit I use to be a little to obsessed with balto, maybe not is much as you cousin here, but enough that it got my parents attention. Your cousin is a still a young kid, he will eventually grow out of the behavoir. Now taking all his balto realated merchandise away is to much, how the heck is that supposed to help. It just might end up reinforcing his behavoir. Thats my 2cents.

Cobaltié · **Posted:** Mon Dec 31, 2007 1:45 am

That's... an interesting story.

I don't think the parents should have taken it that far. Sure, get it checked out. Although it sounds as though the parents got a big shock over this.

For one, confiscating the stuff probably sent the poor kid nuts. But not seeing friends? Every kid needs to socialize, often it actually helps in therapy

Kids get obsessions. It happens. Although some things I thought I might have a word with.

"...even though he has already promised that he'll stop acting, quoting, and wearing Balto from now on SEVERAL times now, but they STILL won't let him have even his Balto DVD back yet!"

Okay, now there's a big problem. If they're not going to let him have the DVD after all these years and not let him see his friends... well, they could need help by now too. To have your kid undergo a massive personality change because of an obsession would have probably scared them a crapload. Actually, the actions they took sort of show that they were afraid he was going to keep continuing this behavior for a long time. Now, I'm not saying what they did was fully justified. Just that they acted like this because they were most likely worried about it and now they're afraid that he'll do it again. They too probably need therapy by now, all of this would have been a major stress on them, maybe even traumatic.

I'd say to try and actually ask them why, as in are there any other reasons why he can't talk to you. They probably love him a lot, thus their overprotection. I was going to suggest to suggest to them that they might need help too, but they might be offended... still, if you feel that they might take it into consideration, do it.

Charlie Wolf · **Posted:** Mon Dec 31, 2007 3:47 am

Thanks an awful lot for all the input here, guys- I really appreciate it!!!!!

I kinda' thought that too earlier, USMC Wolf; it is indeed quite ridiculous to take ALL of his stuff from him like that (and for ENTIRE YEARS at that, too), because all he'll do to "get more Balto" is to act like it EVEN MORE SO than before!!!!! A MAJOR mistake in my opinion.

-Charlie.

Charlie Wolf · **Posted:** Tue Jan 01, 2008 3:53 am

BlueStarfire wrote:

um should this go in the rant section?Anyays, when I was eleven (when i first saw it),I used to quate and act like balto but my parents did not care. eventaully my obsession got cut down 'cause of my age. I still am obsesed with balto, that is why i go on this site. But that is harsh what they did to him for being a little kid

Oh really???

And I thought that he was the ONLY person to EVER act like this over a movie for so long, ESPECIALLY Balto!!!!!

Anyway, I thought about posting this in the "Rant" section, but I thought that that section was only for site-related rants, not "real-world" rants like this one; besides, the other thread that speaks of Balto fans getting mocked for their Balto-fanaticism is pretty ranting as well, but more so for reality and the actual film itself than for any site concern(s) or issue(s).

-Charlie.

BaltoRacing · **Posted:** Tue Jan 01, 2008 9:38 am

Wow, there are a lot of things that bother me.First, the guy is literally using th bathroom like a dog? Ommm, okay.

Plus, let someone be a fan of something. A juvenile psychoanalyst...are you kidding me? Has it come to the point that kids can't be kids anymore? Apparently so. That's as bad as someone trying to a jerk stealing a collection of another person's just because he/she doesn't like it. Terrible.

To say that Balto is "purely immature and highly fictional child's movie" is a load of bull :evil:

. Are these people daring to say that Balto is fictional? Are they saying that Balto is immature? Did they ever learn anything while they were in school or were the parents too upset to talk about their past obsession of Betty Boop? (no offense). I am having major issues with that line. For starters, the first movie was based on a true story, it even said that at the end of the movie for heavens sake. Balto is immature? Righttttt, give me a break; taking crap from everyone in Nome (except for a few of course :wink:

) and still had the heart to get the medicine, that realllllllly sounds immature (note the sarcasm). Without Balto, those children would had died. I hope they think about that fact long and hard. Fictional? I think it's time for the 2 of them to go back to school.

I hope you don't hate me for saying this, but I really need to have a long, sit-down conversation with those parents. If you ask me, it's the parents that need therapy.

HrryNrmn · **Posted:** Tue Jan 01, 2008 5:48 pm

Yeah, I'm going to defend the parents here. Acting like you say he acts is NOT normal or well-adjusted. It's best to get obsessions and compulsions sorted out early, before they really become problems. Sending the kid to the head-shrinker is a good plan. It's not normal behavior to be that obsessed with anything.

Especially when we live in an age of Cho Shun Wei's and folks like that. He had several obsessions. He never grew out of them. And now, 30 people won't grow out of anything, ever again. People exhibiting clear signs of mental illness need to be taken care of in the appropriate way. At least his folks are concerned about him, and not simply saying, "Well, little Johnny is probably fine, we'll wait until he's 18 and then spring him on the world!"

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Being a BIG Balto fan... and getting sent to therapy for it!