Why Kids with OCD Say ‘I Don’t Know’ to Everything—and What You Can Do About It

AT Parenting Survival | Raising Kids with OCD & Anxiety

Natasha Daniels: Child Therapist, Child Anxiety and OCD Expert, Parenting Coach and Parent

Parenting, Ocd Therapy, Ocd In Children, Ocd, Anxiety, Child Anxiety, Child Ocd, Kids & Family, Mental Health, Education, Health & Fitness, Self-improvement

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 29 July 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Do you ask your child with OCD a question—about their thoughts, feelings, or fears—only to get “I don’t know” in return? It can be frustrating, confusing, and leave you feeling stuck. But for kids with OCD, those three words often carry a lot more meaning than we realize.

In this episode, I’ll unpack why “I don’t know” is such a common response in kids with OCD—and what it’s really communicating. You’ll learn what’s not helpful (even when it’s well-intentioned), and what you can do instead to support your child without feeding OCD’s grip on their thinking.

We’ll talk about:

The real reasons behind constant “I don’t know” responses
Common parent traps that unintentionally make things worse
Practical ways to respond with clarity, patience, and effectiveness
How to use these moments as teaching tools—not power struggles

You don’t need all the answers—but you do need a game plan. Tune in for real support that meets your child where they are.

***

This podcast episode is sponsored by NOCD. NOCD provides online OCD therapy in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. To schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if NOCD is a right fit for you and your child, go to

https://go.treatmyocd.com/at_parenting

This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.

Parents, do you need more support?

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https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com

Join the AT Parenting Community (A membership designed to support parents raising kids with anxiety or OCD):

https://atparentingcommunity.com

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the AT Parenting Survival Podcast, where you get help and guidance through the chaos of parenting a child with anxiety or OCD.
0:12.0	This show is for educational purposes and is not intended to replace the guidance of a qualified professional.
0:18.5	Here's your host, child therapist, Natasha Daniels. Well, hello there,
0:23.4	and welcome to another episode of the AT Parenting Surveillance Podcast. Today, I want to talk to you
0:29.4	about something that you may not realize is really common with children who are struggling with
0:35.8	OCD. And that is, I don't know. I don't know. Why do you do that?
0:41.8	I don't know. What scares you? I don't know. Does that sound familiar? That could be really
0:48.3	frustrating when you're just trying to help your child or teen and you're trying to explore what's
0:53.0	going on and what their struggles are
0:55.0	and you're hitting a brick wall.
0:57.7	And so today we're going to talk about what's behind the I don't know because there is a
1:02.2	reason why I don't know is so prevalent in children with OCD.
1:08.9	But before we get started, I do want to thank No CD, talking about OCD. No CD offers
1:14.2	affordable, effective, convenient therapy, and they're available in the U.S. and outside the U.S.
1:19.2	And you can schedule your free 15-minute consultation to see if no CD is a right fit for you and your
1:24.9	child. Just go to Treat MyOCD.com. That is, treat my
1:29.1	oCD.com. I'll leave a link in the show notes as well. All right, so let's dive into this today.
1:36.0	So the first thing I want to mention is that I don't know in general is very common in adolescence.
1:47.1	Teenagers say I don't know a lot, but there is meaning behind I don't know.
1:53.5	And I think often as parents, educators, therapists, we discount it.
2:03.3	And sometimes I'm going to talk about this in a little while.
2:10.2	We take it personal because we feel like they're purposely not sharing information. They're being difficult. And with OCD, there are very specific, unique, different reasons why.
	...

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