That Kid

I think it's the desire of most parents to have a kid that "fits in". We all want a "normal child"; not the child that stands out in a crowd (in a bad way).

Yesterday we went to a firetruck parade and carnival with some friends of ours. Small town America at it's best. The firetrucks were all decked out for the occasion, all of the tires and paint jobs shined. Many had new decals and flowers adorning them. And to top it all off they sounded their flashed their lights and sounded their alarms. Oh, and did they sound their alarms. Sirens blared, horns honked.

Children sat on curbs waiting for candy to be thrown at them from trucks... sitting and watching and listening in ecstasy. Unless you have a child with a sensory sensitivity. Albeit he was an eager participant, but without his ear plugs in he would have remained at a standstill covering his ears and screaming it was too loud.

So, yes, my son whom I love and adore is "that kid". The one that wears the earplugs to the movies and parades. The one that runs away with his ear covered when a motorcycle approaches. The one that yells over and over "it's too loud".

Supersensitivies are fairly common in gifted children (and can be found in all people to some degree), and they can range from things such as the tag on the inside of pants, to smells, to sounds.

This is just one of the many quirks that parents of gifted children need to adapt to.

Recognizing the the supersensitivity is first and dealing with it is the next step. We've accomplished both of those.

But dealing with the outside world in regards to these, which is the next step for us; is often the most difficult. How do we tell the well meaning friend that our child cannot help it? that no matter what they say he's just not going to knock it off? that he isn't trying to be rude, but he can't deal with all the noise? We shouldn't have to explain ourselves or our child, but at times you wish everyone knew and understood.