HSC

I finished reading The Highly Sensitive Child tonight. Got a lot out of it. I discovered I'm doing most things right as a mom of a very young HSC, like explaining where we're going and what we're doing beforehand, and generally trying to treat O with respect. I also confirmed a few things I had been suspecting, like harsh discipline not working. 

I was totally stressed reading the sections about raising an HSC school-aged kid and teenager. Bullying, teasing, dealing with teachers, cliques, lying, sex, depression... Whoa. I'm just skipping over these chapters for now and I'll check out the book again when we get to that point. 

I'm gonna try a couple new things - at least 30 minutes of "floor play" per day, where I'm on her level and fully engaged, and limiting outings to no more than 2 per day. I notice O has the hardest time when I'm not fully present or when we're running around all day. When we get to spend unscheduled time together, she's so much fun to be around. She opens up and talks nonstop and is super creative and aware.

I'm looking forward to a fun summer together. We don't have a whole lot of plans for June, other than music class and free events at the library. We'll add in trips to Sulphur Creek, museums, parks, and zoos. In July, she'll be taking a couple week-long "camps" at her preschool for a few hours a day and even though parents aren't required to be there, I plan to hang around until I know she'll be okay. In August, she'll be taking dance class twice a week and hopefully the three of us will be able to get away on vacation for a few days.

In general, I would love to slow things down a bit so that none of us gets overwhelmed. Minimizing stimulation was one of the key points of the book and I agree. Parenting is so much responsibility and I'm so afraid of screwing up my kid!