Book Review - The Highly Sensitive Child - Helping Our Children Thrive When The World Overwhelms Them

I have a sensitive child who is easily overwhelmed. I have realized that I do not parent him in a way that helps him thrive.

This book did not help me because it told me that for him to thrive, I can never appear to be upset in front of him, never raise my voice, never make him eat anything he doesn't want to, never force him to be in a situation he finds himself uncomfortable in...basically let him live in a totally unrealistic world.

While I found the suggestions to be over-the-top (the author didn't force her son to learn how to drive until he was twenty-six!), I was made aware of how a sensitive child sees the world. Much more so than less sensitive children, HSC (oh, yes. It's an acronym) are cautious and oftentimes timid because they are overwhelmed by stimuli and awareness of possible consequences. Just last weekend, I saw firsthand how my sensitive child was unable to participate in an activity until his younger brother went first, showing it was safe. And it wasn't just that he was unsure or scared for himself. The entire ordeal of watching his brother stressed him out because he was much more aware of all the possible ways it could go wrong. It was really quite something to watch.

I consider myself sensitive, so I do empathize with my son and hope to be a better parent to him. I just wish the suggestions from the author were things I felt I could actually implement. Instead, I feel more discouraged that I am exactly the kind of parent who is going to ruin my child.