When you have a child whose brain isn’t wired quite like the majority (Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD), it can be interesting to say the least. And in several some situations, it can be a big challenge. When Little Man was about 4 years old, I began to notice that his emotions got big. And I mean B-I-G big!
When he was excited, he was really excited!!! In fact, he was so excited that he couldn’t eat or sleep. That’s sounds pretty normal you say. But when he would not eat for hours before a play date, and would not eat during the play date, eventually, the Little Man would hit a wall and reach breakdown and meltdown. Playdate over. Then when he would be relaxed, buckled into his car seat, he would be ravenous. Yes, I learned to have food for him to eat in the car on the way home. I also learned to not tell him about a playdate until after he had eaten at least breakfast.
When he was about 6 or 7, he was old enough that I could tell him that he had to eat at least a little bit, or he couldn’t have a play date. And I could get him (and buddy) to have at least a little snack during said playdate. These days, this excitement translates into his eating maybe half of his lunch at school, in anticipation of going out to recess.
As well as getting over excited about things, Little Man would get so angry, he would become out of control. And a number of times, he would totally trash his bedroom.
He finally got the message that it is not ok to trash his bedroom, so there are other options these days. Now, he can tell me that he feels like he has to punch or hit something. We have lots of pillows for that. And he is getting better at not exploding in the first place (which is a big deal and not easy).
One of the newer emotions that seems to run very high at times, is anxiety. And this began in the middle of first grade. Most of the anxiety centers around school, but not always. A few days ago, it reared its ugly head at the dentist. …continue reading
