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It could be that panties used to have pockets in them.

Why do some women hold a slip/bra strap in place with safety pins instead of sewing them? Why do some women have money in bras? Or carkeys/eyeglasses in bras? Why do some women haul around a purse that weighs close to 10 pounds on a daily basis? Just make sure the pencils aren't sharpened and she will be fine. If she goes to the ER with her panties full of crayons it will be an interesting story.
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If this is a sudden change, I would test for a UTI asap.
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Odd as it may sound she may perceive her undies as a 'pocket', some place to store these items. As others suggest, supervise her when she's got these things or take them away so she doesn't harm herself with them. Or get those jumpsuit type clothes so she can't access the panty zone so easily, although of course it can be cumbersome to go to the toilet when needed. If we wanted to get 'Freudian' here I could imagine those things seeming like penises and she is simulating a sexual act in her disordered memory. Like hunger, one's sexuality is 'hard wired.'
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VictorianDoll Jan 2025
She’s not unsupervised when she’s coloring and I thought I was pretty good at keeping tabs on her every move. It happened twice the first time I thought maybe she just dropped them. Second time I took action, throwing the ones in her panties away and do the same with the others. Today she’s tearing up all her books, so my actions have consequences!
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If your mother is putting crayons and pencils in her underwear she needs more supervision when she is using these things. Or they have to be taken away because she's too far gone in dementia to use these things safely.

There are some kinds of clothing like velco-fastened jumpsuits that prevent the wearer from accessing their underwear (or diaper). Something like this might be a good idea for your mother. This way she wouldn't be able to shove anything down her pants.
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VictorianDoll Jan 2025
Crayons/ pencils have been thrown in the trash and will not be replaced
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To keep them safe, or perhaps to keep someone from stealing them. Your guess is as good as mine.
Welcome to the wonderful(not)world of dementia!
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VictorianDoll Jan 2025
There’s no one one in our home except myself, husband and my mother!
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No Reason .
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With dementia she has lost the ability to make sound decisions. All kinds of unreasonable and irrational behaviors will happen. It’s the sad reality of where she is now
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VictorianDoll Jan 2025
Your absolutely correct!
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You posted this under Alzheimer's and Dementia, which answers your question.
I am sorry. No way to predict what such an injured brain may do.
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VictorianDoll Jan 2025
Well I asked the question 🙋‍♀️ out of frustration!!!! And I thought that maybe someone else may have experienced this issue. Since I tossed the pencils and crayons she started tearing up books!! So I ticked her off by throwing the crayons/pencils out!
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