The Highly Sensitive Child
Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D.
Published 2002
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| Amazon.com |
What an interesting way to start a blog on book reviews. This is such a specialized title that limits my audience, but as it was my first read of 2012 it deserves its day in the “Ottenberg sunshine.”
As a parent of a very empathetic and sensitive four year
old, I was interested in what Ms. Aron had to say. To sum up what I took from the book, I will
borrow from Ms. Aron herself: “Somehow we all come into like with certain
difficulties to face and learn from, and your child has his own set
(p.100).” Ms. Aron defines a highly
sensitive child as one who is highly attuned to subtleties (be it sensory or
otherwise), empathetic and easily over-stimulated. We aren't talking about "lovey dovey" kids, but rather those who are more aware of their environment, the people around them, and themselves.
Admittedly, I don’t think Maia exactly fits this
mold (not that any one is a perfect fit for any mold), but Ms. Aron’s key advice was not much different than most
parenting handbooks.
- Don’t push past the brink of meltdown,
- Anticipate mood swings,
- Hunger, thirst, and tiredness often result in bad mood
- Do not overstimulate and provide "down time."
This advice, to me, oft repeated throughout
the parental annals, is nothing more than common sense. Maybe I just wanted a magic phrase that would make me feel better about my daughter's perplexing behaviors. Maybe someone raising a Highly Sensitive Child would be able to find that kernel of "Aha! That's what I have been missing."
One plus, I did enjoy Ms. Aron's candid anecdotes and willingness to share her own stories (and those of her son) about being highly sensitive and/or raising a sensitive child. I think her willingness to self divulge comes from her background as a psychotherapist (I was going to say psychology, but psychotherapist was funnier).
Coming up next: Anita Diamant's, The Red Tent
Have you not read The Red Tent? I enjoyed it! We are reading Cutting For Stone in the Moms Club Book Club again. Couldn't make myself reread it, and I enjoyed it the first time!
ReplyDeleteI started The Red Tent last night. It is one of those reads that "I always meant to read," but got inundated with other must reads.
ReplyDeleteI read The Red Tent several years ago with my book club--a group of about 10 women. I remember our discussion of this book and our individual experiences growing into "womanhood" as a seminal moment of our bonding as a group. We were--and still are--a very diverse group but this book and the book club discussion about it solidified friendships in ways I cannot explain.
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