Comments on: Navigating homeschooling with a sensitive child

By: Lisa Warren

Lisa Warren

This is great thanks. I have felt like homeschooling was the best thing for my 2 kids now 11 and 7 when they were young. Unfortunately hubby wasn’t on board. We are a family of highly sensitive people. My oldest has been traumatized so his sensitivity is through the roof. We just started homeschooling this past October after 8 years of total stupid hellish stress and illness from that stress. Allergies to be exact which have gained more every year it seems for my oldest. I finally gave up trying to fit in myself a few years ago and decided I can take control of my life the way I need to and not fit into a world I can’t for the life of me handle. Yep crashed3 times and 40 years old. I want to.teach my.kids to be ok with themselves
We stumbled across hsp a few years ago but it’s only starting to sink in finally being distressed and thinking normally. My hubby is old school.and wants our son to toughen up and he has held back and learning but it sends meltdowns. Our day is hard trying to control my emotions and everyone else’s. My 11 yr old son really misses his friends at school but the trauma I faced I can’t even begin to think about sending him back. Since it has onIy been a few months of calmness in my house which, he likes too, we are still figuring out our rhythm. But once I pulled both my kids their stress level diminished immediately and they are happy. We have not had happy for a long time. They want to be with us now leave my house willingly and love to learn. It’s hard for sure to control my patience and find myself apologizing but I am still.figuring out how to handle and coach him since I have not been able to attend my own counseling and stress management to teach him he hates feeling calm and refuses to practice any calming things. We have been working on building confidence and hobbies that make him happy and we have found a few. They can’t handle too much information at all and are done within a few days and need lots of breaks. When he is nervous about something there is no school it’s just fighting but he is working on making himself do things. It takes hours if not days to decompress. I am grateful for this opportunity finally after 8 years and I want this to go well. We have done most of the requirements innately over the years as I am.quite attuned to their needs. I am stuck on how to help him though and who to see if neccessary to help us live with this and having him accept it. He too just wants to fit in. He hates his sensitivity and allergies. My 7 year old has adjusted just fine but he hasnt been through the health issues and trauma like our oldest.people definitely sont understand and that’s been the hardest part explaining.

By: S Ford

S Ford

What a great article! I find it very relevant to the needs of our homeschooling family. Can you please share some of your relaxation techniques?

By: Mindy

Mindy

In reply to Nina.

I agree, totally. I think the world is too quick today to need a label (ADD, ADHD, etc.). I do not disagree that all of these exist along with Autism, etc. but too many are too quick to jump to that instead of taking a bit of time to get to know their child(ren), to see if it really is something deeper going on or is the child just a bit ‘different’. As with Nina, not everyone that’s “different” (if you will) has some sort of disorder…

By: Jamie Martin

Jamie Martin

In reply to gd.

So glad this was helpful for you, and maybe this post will also give you some food for thought: http://simplehomeschl.wpengine.com/core-phase/ Enjoy your year!!

By: gd

I am quite new to this homeschool thing but chose to homeschool for, well, about a million reasons… one being my sensitive child. He might want a brick and mortar school experience someday, but we both agreed to homeschool this year, his kindergarten year. I’m still mastering “structure” and flailing about, but at least telling him “today we will do x,y,z” helps us both. We take frequent breaks, as in, ten minutes of “school”, ten minutes or more of break. When frustration hits, I talk calmly and expect him to do just one more sight word or whatever, letting him know he is about t his limit but pushing, gently, one more thing, talking him through it. Hugs and cuddling help as do really cray active things like jumping and screaming out a math fact or what have you, as he can get very active and aggressive almost, so I use it constructively before it “blows up”. For now, my sensitive child would not do well in a classroom. I can read his signals and push his boundaries but not to much, and provide love, protection, etc.

By: Donita Hammond

Donita Hammond

I happened about this older post, but so glad I found it. This so describes my daughter and I need the reminder that this is her nature and I need to be aware of it. I am also sensitive, but in a more introverted way than my daughter. So, while I understand some of her anxiety and sensitivities, other things I need to be reminded of. I am going to check out the Simplicity Parenting book now.

By: Nina

Nina

In reply to Beth. There is such a thing as highly sensitive children/adults. Look it up. Not everyone different is on the spectrum.

By: sarakwoll

sarakwoll

i think theres a deep, powerful and underlying importance here. our kids come from the future. life as it has become in 2016, loud, fast, toxic, sometimes disingenuine, is intolerable to many of us and many many more of our children.
their behaviors are forcing us to slow down, prioritize rest, breath, calm and connection which are all so healing.
by following their lead, honoring their uniqueness and listening deeply to them, i feel the solutions we so desperately need will arise. thanks for owning the label “sensitive.” i think its very important to gather around this idea.

By: Sarah

Sarah

In reply to Lisa Bellot. The "I hate school" stabs me in the heart! My son does that too.

By: Tiffany

Tiffany

I’m currently reading “Raising Your Spirited Child” by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. It sounds like you may have children who are just “more”. Sensitivity is one of the factors of temperament that’s looked at, as well as introvert/extrovert and how to energize your child. It’s a great read so far, I highly suggest it!