Mitchell, a 16 year old boy I work with was recently found by his parents to be using their credit card, let’s just say, a bit inappropriately.

In other words, he took their card without asking for permission, deciding he wanted to buy a video game to play with his friends.

Mitchell’s parents were rightfully upset about it.

When I asked Mitchell,  what was behind his thought process over the inappropriate use of the credit card, in sheepish tones, he said to me, “I don’t know…I guess I’m impulsive…I think I have ‘FOMO.’  Do you know what that is?  I think I was afraid of missing out with my friends.”  (“FOMO,” by the way is a slang term for “Fear of Missing Out.”)

I stared back at him in bemused bewilderment, letting some seconds go by.

Then in a teasing and somewhat mocking style, without skipping a beat I responded astonishingly,  “FOMO!!!!!,” I nearly shouted.  “Impulsive!!!!!  Don’t hand me that utter horse sh-t.!!!!!  Please stop blowing smoke up my ass!  (Yes, that’s what I said.)  And where did you get that word, ‘impulsive’?  Where’d you come up with that?  Do you know what impulsive means?”

Laughing, but somewhat stunned by my reaction, Mitchell mutters, “What do you mean I don’t have FOMO?”

I joke back, “You don’t have FOMO – you have a very different disorder.”

Now I have piqued Mitchell’s attention.  “Really?” he says curiously.  “What disorder do I have?”

“You have a bad case of  “IWWIWD,” I say, waiting for him to respond back.

“I never heard of that disorder.  What is that?  Is it related to ADD?” asks Mitchell, in tones showing deep sincerity to show me he really cares (not really).

“No.  It has nothing to do with ADD,” I tell him.

I continue.  “IWWIWD is a disorder plaguing many American kids.  The disorder leads them to do stupid things like take their parents’ credit card.   IWWIWD  is “I Want What I Want  Disorder.”    To be more accurate it’s I Want What I Want When I Want It Disorder.”  It’s shortened a bit to IWWIWD.  You can look it up in the psychology books,” I joke with him.

Falling out of his chair, laughing at what I’ve said to him, his reaction tells me I’ve hit him squarely between the eyes.  He knows I’ve nailed it.

Mitchell knows he has a bad case of IWWIWD.

Takeaway Point

Don’t let the smoke take over your thinking.

Copyright, 2020 www.shutdownlearner.com
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