Spawn was 16 and had a hot glue gun explode on her hand at school.  She went to the school nurse, who put ointment on it and told her to call her father if she was in pain and wanted to go home.  When I got home from work Spawn told me about the glue gun and showed me her hand, she had a blister on one finger and a few red patches on the other fingers and side of her hand.  I asked her if she was in pain or needed anything, she said no.   DH got home and Spawn told him about her hand and showed him.  He asked her if she was in pain and showed her what to do for minor burns and that was the end of it. 

 Later that night Spawn comes out of her room sobbing uncontrollably that DH should have taken her to the ER the minute she was burned as she had 3rd degree burns and could be disfigured for life.  Of course Spawn was texting with Meth Mouth about this and Meth Mouth being a former CNA (checks people into doctors appts) she knew this was 3rd degree burns!  DH told Spawn she was fine and he made her a doctor’s appt for the next day.  Well wouldn’t you know Meth Mouth called the police for a welfare check and the cop even looked at her burns and said there was no emergency.  Spawn also uses the ER for bladder infections, ear infections, birth control refills…she pretty much thinks anything that inconveniences her is an emergency.

When SD, now 60, moved in here at 15, she often discovered distressing medical symptoms late at night.  She'd come to me, I'd do whatever seemed necessary then worry all night.  Without exception, she was always cured the next morning.  I finally realized that with a house full of kids (5), this was a bid for personal attention.  Either that, or I had magical healing powrrs.  Lol.

She still does this in a more adult form (emergency rooms, Urgent Care).  The difference is I don't respond now.

There was one SD on here a few years back that was the queen of hypochondriac behaviors.  Knee issues were a big one.  I wish I could remember the name.  Constant drama.  Constant "injuries".  I think she might have been a cheerleader too.  Anyone?  

Ahhh yes, pre-teen drama is always super dramatic! Everything is the end of the world, parents can't understand any of it, one one else in the history of mankind can relate! LOOK AT MEEEE!!!

Can I just say that I'm soooooo glad I only have one daughter? 

OSDthen11(ish) - in brand new school clothes I JUST bought them (before I knew better) went out to play, even though I said NO, NOT IN YOUR NEW CLOTHES. But of course SDs objected and DH said "what's the big deal!"  Anyway, of course they were messing around on the rocks, OSD fell (ripping a hole in her new pants) and cut her knee. She came in the house crying like she'd had her leg broken. I had her sit down to look at it but she screamed and yelled at me to not touch it - "How am I supposed to help if you don't let someone touch it? We need to at least put some medicine on it, the non-burning kind." Cue more screaming and crying that it hurt too much. I walked away at that point and DH dealt with it later.

Later that school year, after DH bought her her own laptop computer (against my objections) I was at home prepping dinner and the SDs were up in OSDs room messing around (see this theme with messing around never ever ends well).  All of a sudden screaming and yelling and sobbing from OSD. YSD yelling at her "I didn't mean it!" FFS. At this point I was already starting to disengage. I went upstairs and asked what happened. YSD was trying to yank the computer from OSD, OSD gave a big yank back, YSD released it and it smacked OSD in the face. I said, "That's what you get for mesing around. Are you bleeding?  Let me look....no blood. Do you want an ice pack?" Cue screaming and crying again, "Noooooooooo!"  OK then, I'm going to go finish dinner and walked out to the yells of "I haaaaaaate youuuuuuuu!"  Told DH everything, he actually took my side on that one.

OSD was always a complainer. YSD has had much worse injuries over time and rarely cried - if she did cry I knew it was bad.

Of course if there are extenuating circumstances, then medical assessment may be appropriate. Asthma attacks, bee/wast stings that induce an alergic reaction, etc.. may meet the 

I got to where I would just leave a whailing kid collapsed on the ground with the skinned knee where they were until they came to the conclusion that they were not getting the attention they were seaking.  

My youngest nephew (Bro's youngest) was always bouncing his forehead off of side walks, etc.... when he was a toddler.   My own kid ate a curb while riding his bicycle when he was about 7 and snapped both of his 1/3 grown in front teeth off at the gum line.  Neither my nephew nor my son were wailing attention seeking little turds. I'm not a fan of the over dramatic.

Parents are the ones who set the tone for this type of thing. When a parent goes all panicky and hovery on this type of thing kids learn to over react.

IMHO of course.

Motorbike in the jungle (remote country), falls off the bike because he doesn't know how to drive properly. 
tiny surface graze on his foot barely 4cm long (surface scratch remember)

next day in hot humid weather he wraps himself in a blanket then when we are leaving to drive home he tells his dad he needs to stop by pharmacy to buy bandages, antiseptic solution, tapes etc, the whole shebang. Ss walks out of the car like an old grandpa in his 90s with walking cane or a woman who just had a c-section.

at least the c-section woman walks quicker and has a legitimate excuse being in pain (she's had 7 layers of muscle tissue cut through), ss had a minor surface graze and claims he has a fever.

my husband had enough and told him to cut the bullshit. That he was walking like an old grandpa for that tiny graze and this was so over the top for attention.

i had an emergency csection, in absolute pain like i'd been kicked in the stomach 1000 times and still was walking around and with an almost 4kg newborn baby.

but ss has learnt this nonsense from biomum and his sisters that manipulation gets them special treatment.

 Its been a long road to re-educate my husband that living your life succumbing to manipulation is not healthy and its time skids accept that they aren't as special as they think they are.

skids are all problem kids for my inlaws. All my sils pick up on their crap and talk to me in private. The only 2 normal respectful and pleasant kids of hubby are our 2 kids. Shocker the only reason they are that way are because they have me as a mum