As a kid, my parents gave me melatonin/Benadryl to put me down. How common is this?

When I was a kid, I was kinda hyper. My parents were both working parents, and they got tired of dealing with me. I recently found out that they used to slip me melatonin or Benadryl to put me down when they felt like they'd had enough.

I only learned this recently, so I'm wondering—how often does this actually happen? How common is it?

And for parents who have done this (or considered it), what were the other reasons? Was it just exhaustion? A need for a break? Something else?

Not looking to judge anyone. Just trying to understand my own childhood and figure out how normal (or not) this is.

Thanks.

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Nightwings · F

I could maybe see parents giving melatonin to the kid, but only if the doctor agree with it. I think it's odd to give a child benadryl. If they didn't consult with a doctor about it then it's definitely weird and very selfish.

Edit: Did they ever even try to find out the root of what they considered problematic? If not, neglecting to find the reason is another to layer to the selfish behavior imo.

Alexa98 · 26-30, F

@Nightwings oh i didnt mention😂 my parents are doctors😂

Nightwings · F

@Alexa98 Ugh so they just think they have a right to do this because they're doctors and "know it's not harmful" lol. I literally just read neither melatonin or benadryl should be used long-term. I think your parents were selfish and maybe too full of themselves thinking they can just give their child these things to avoid their responsibilities of parenting. I'd say it's not normal.

Alexa98 · 26-30, F

@Nightwings well it is true they loved control, and yes they were full of themselves. It is not normal but it is not not occurring at all. Many say it is more common than we think. I turned out fone so they probably knew what they doing i just didnt know what was happening back then

Nightwings · F

@Alexa98 Well yes it may happen sometimes but I still think it's wrong for them as doctors to take it into their own hands like they did, especially if the reason was simply to ease their own lives and not because they thought you truly needed it. It was also wrong to not talk thoughouly with you about it, to make sure you knew what was happening and why. I'm not saying your parents are evil or anything like that, I'm sure they have many redeeming qualities, but I do think this was way too controlling and definitely not common. They knew it wouldn't cause harm, but that's not really good enough of a reason alone, but that's just my opinion.