Dealing with pain

[Cherry321]

My daughter has been with us 4 years and is 5. We’ve had our ups and downs (like most people here) but recently I’ve noticed (and she’s has told me, now she can explain herself more) that she really can’t deal with pain or the sight of blood.

The tiniest cuts or grazes prompt a massive reaction. She is very sensory seeking so I don’t know if that’s a link? She’s very robust in other ways and copes with bumping into stuff and isn’t frightened of much. I just go with it now and make sure we make a big fuss and acknowledge it when she has a little cut.

thanks for any thoughts.

My DS was like this with cuts, any sign of blood and he needed a plaster and lots of reassurance around age 4/5/6. He’s much more stoic now, I think he just grew out of it to be honest. He does have sensory issues though I hadn’t made any link - I just thought he needed a bit of tlc. So I’m probably not much help in figuring it out, but you’re not alone.

Thankyou. She might just have a low pain threshold. I do tend to assume everything is adoption related! But good to hear they grow out of it. 🙂

there’s a good chance it is adoption related, a low pain threshold is down to the body’s response to trauma. it’s great that you are aware of this and can support your daughter Too often adoptee trauma responses are ignored and trivialised

We listened to a talk from a sensory expert who said it's quite common for children who have experienced trauma to have a big reaction to the tiniest bumps and then not show any reaction to something like a broken bone. Luckily, we haven't experienced a broken bone but my little one needs lots of cuddles and reassurance for tiny scrapes!