My highly sensitive child is good for my ego- I think...

There are definite funny sides to being blessed with a highly sensitive child :)

These things can really get in the way of a good time!

Case in point; Monkey and Smiley have been away for the past week staying with my in-laws because, you know, sometimes things happen and a girl needs a break! Luckily for me, the children are blessed with grandparents who have been practically begging me to let them visit. After much contemplation, I eventually agreed to this arrangement. Which of course is code for "I had their bags packed and the car running ready for the five hour trip before I could put the phone back on the hook".
 From what I can gather the boys had an entire week of blissful spoiling and adventure with their every whim being taken care of. "Oh so you want a new Bionical? Let's go buy one". "Ice-cream for breakfast? Not a problem". "Another (insert crap, plastic toy, fad collectible here) is yours if you want it". You get the picture.
In fact the boys wanted to stay an extra day which helped make up for the guilt I was feeling about not feeling guilty re: not having them around. 
Last night was the happy reunion with lots of kisses and cuddles and sharing of stories. I realized I had missed my boys terribly after all- perhaps next time (if the in-laws ever recover) a few days away rather than a whole week would be better.
This morning Monkey looked at me seriously and confided that he missed me more than he thought he would. Awww.... my heart melted and I gave him a big, squeezy cuddle, even though my hands were still covered in dish-washing suds. What a sweet-heart and how lovely he was showing his appreciation of me. "What was the best thing about coming home?" I fished. "Well", he considered, "That would be not having to worry about stepping in Grandma's dog's water bowl. I did that a lot- it was yucky". "Also", he continued, "Perhaps it would be better if you dried the bubbles off your hands before touching me next time- that feels yucky too".
Well, I'm glad he views home as a sanctuary, free from the worries of life- I think.....

Take care,
Jo

I have a "highly sensitive child"- now what?

my "HSC" boy as a toddler.

I thought I knew a bit about parenting. After all, I had spent ten years working closely with parents as part of my day job, not to mention the fact that I was already, in fact, the mother to one little boy. I had "planned" my second pregnancy and we were blessed to welcome our second little boy into the world in July 2006. I had a healthy and uneventful pregnancy, followed by a quick, uncomplicated birth. Bliss, right? Well, let me tell you that from the moment he was born (and even perhaps from before he was born), I knew there was something "different" about my little one. He literally did not stop crying from the moment of birth until he fell asleep briefly five hours later! After which he continued to cry and then sleep in short bursts for months on end. This child was irritable, demanding, inconsolable and above all exhausting! But confusingly he could be so engaging and adorable too and developmentally, he always met his milestones early.
Eventually a number of medical issues were diagnosed and treated which was helpful but my husband and I found that just as some issues would resolve, others would develop. In general, our little one seemed to find everything "more" or "extra" than other people and he would simply become totally overwhelmed easily.
As the years have gone by and we have gotten to know our child better, we realize that our little one could best be described as being a "highly sensitive child". This is a term explained in Elaine N. Aron's book called "The Highly Sensitive Child" and reading it was literally like a lock turning into place in my head. Essentially the highly sensitive individual is someone who "notices" more in the environment than others and they process and reflect on things more deeply. Because of this extra "noticing" they can be easily overwhelmed and may seem shy, cautious and controlling. The plus side is that they can be sensitive, empathetic, creative, careful and conscientious individuals.

The descriptors in this book fit our son so perfectly which has served to really help us to understand and support him as he develops. I also think this book helped us as his parents to be able to re-frame our frustrations and anxieties into positives and to begin to celebrate some of the things that make our son so unique.
Has anyone else found this description fitting for their child?