No one ever gave me a heads up that having a child with a mild sensory issue as well as high anxiety was in the cards. Now before I say more, let me first say if you read all my other posts, you know I love my daughter so much! She's my girl! And what I'm about to disclose it not a real big deal, nor a health concern. I realize on the spectrum of things, my daily life is very easy and my child is healthy!
Yet this is a part of my life today, and you're apart of my blog.
Academically, Nadine is amazing. These days attending kindergarten is not what it was like, even a year ago ( per her teacher). Today they come home with 4 pages of homework.I try not to complain, why should I , Nadine does it! She's always been smart. NO brag, just a fact, when she was less then a year old, the pediatrician said "you may have a gifted child on your hands". At two, the pediatrician said "there is no question ,shes gifted". Having no idea what to do with that information, I just took it and rolled with it. I never expressed it to anyone, just my husband and I knew of the Doctors remarks. It's kind of a weird thing to hear. Plus I knew she was doing things kinda fast, but I knew no different, after all she's the only one, my first child. We just went with her flow and cheered her on. Someone once said to me "Don't rush her babyhood".. I thought to myself, i wasn't doing that, but she's doing these things, i'm not going to hold her back from it...
The thing about being "gifted" and I kinda don't like that term.. but the thing is it comes with a flip-side. Most children who are smart like her , have other things , "issues". For example, a little OCD, sensory issues as well as anxiety. These things NO parent wants to discuss. At first I did not want to touch the topic, after all my girl is so smart, why should I touch the other topics? So many people complement Nadine, for her beauty and intelligence, yet at times I can see the people looking at her was well as me, when she goes to wash her hands (which seems like a million times in a sitting). Then the times when she starts a new "hobby" such as soccer and stands in the field crying, or at the start of dance where she stood crying and clearly full of anxiety because she was uncomfortable..well other parents are quick to judge these things (i'll just put it at that). To the supportive Mommy's I thank you!
After speaking with a amazing child psychologist, someone who evaluated Nadine, I felt a better grasp on who Nadine was with her "issues". I also had questions answered to questions I didn't know I had about her past. I learned about how to make the little things in life a bit easier for Nadine as well as myself and my husband (it was like a parenting session).
The thing is, for Nadine, right now at 5.5 years old, if a room is not a temp she might be comfortable with, clothes are her issues and if she's not comfortable, then panic sets in, I have to be ready with extra clothes for her to change into, out of, you name it! At times her hands feel sticky ( in her mind), so washing hands or wiping them is essential for her. Having wipes or near a sink is a requirement these days. As I blog on, i'll get into more of a detail about some things that go on, when it goes on.
As I conclude this post, I need to apologize for at anytime I judged a parent who had what I thought was the "bad"kid in the store, or the child who had sandals on in the winter, i'd like to apologize to that parent, for I have judged you in the past and I will never judge again.
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