My 3.5yo is a very sensitive child. It’s always been a bit harder work parenting her, even when she was a baby.
There’s all the usual stuff but then there are intense extremes. Lots of tears over things that just don’t seem to bother others, she’ll be the only one on sports day screaming because she’s next to race, the only child at the swimming pool melting down and refusing to go in because it’s a different swim teacher. We’ve been to the dentist countless times and each times she’s screamed, hollered, hid, refused to open her mouth. She’s also very stubborn, there is no changing her mind. When we put in boundaries, she most often purposefully pushes against it almost immediately, often laughing if we tell her off.
We often feel like we’re walking on egg shells, and everything just feels like hard work. I know all 3yo are hard work but the intensity of the reactions just seem a degree or two stronger compared to my friends. When she’s great, she’s great, and she’s so good at things like eating and imaginative play.
Ive worked really hard to learn how to parent her, and id say I get it most of the time, but this is hard work and sometimes she really pushes my over my limit.
I’d say she meets the description that Dr Becky often gives of a Deeply Feeling Kid, but I don’t want to pay for her membership.
i really liked her book and wonder if anyone knows of any other books or resources that might apply to an extra sensitive soul?