Parenting a Highly Sensitive Child

I'm holding a webinar next Thursday offering tips for a stress-free summer.

Welcome to my weekly newsletter building a supportive community for Highly Sensitive People (HSPs).

For some time I’ve been planning to create online workshops so I can offer the practical tools I teach in my one-on-one work to many more people.

So I’m delighted to be teaming up with Augmentive to offer a webinar aimed at supporting parents and other caregivers of Highly Sensitive Children.

DATE: Thursday, June 23rd

TIME: 8pm BST

Tickets cost £18 and you can book them here.

If you sign up, Augmentive is offering a £25 discount for a first one-to-one session with any practitioner on the website (quote GEN25 in the chat pop up on the Augmentive website to redeem this offer).

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Parenting a Highly Sensitive Child

When parents first contact me, they’re often feeling drained, think that they are failing, and are giving themselves a hard time for not being the parents they want to be.

They’re looking for support because their child is facing these kinds of problems:

• Intense emotional reactions

• Meltdowns

• Struggling with aggression and defiance

• Not listening

• Getting into arguments

• Withdrawn or showing hyperactive behaviours

These challenges are particularly common if you have a Highly Sensitive Child – a phrase coined by Dr Elaine Aron to describe the 20-30% of children who process sensory input, thoughts and feelings more deeply than most, and are more reactive to their environments.

Sensitivity is a wonderful gift, and such children can often amaze us with their empathy, creativity and social awareness. But they can also struggle to adapt to the long stretch of free time during the holidays, or may feel overwhelmed by travel or new environments. 

I’ve distilled some key tips from my work with hundreds of parents that I hope will help mums and dads caring for these fantastic — but often challenging — children to make the most of summer.

What I will be covering

So often, parents feel overwhelmed by the demands posed by their child’s sensitivity. I work with families to help them to reconnect with the gifts that exist within every Highly Sensitive Child, and help them get the best out of them.

Change can happen fast when parents learn more about the ways in which a Highly Sensitive Child’s temperament affects the way they experience the world — and how easily their nervous system can become overwhelmed. I often find that once parents have a better understanding of sensitivity, they gain an entirely new perspective on their child’s behaviours, and stop taking the challenges so personally.

In this hour-long webinar, I’ll be offering practical tips to help you and your child to stay calm and regulated. You’re welcome to come along and simply listen but there will also be plenty of opportunities to ask questions and share experiences. The emphasis is on live participation and so the session will not be recorded.

You’re not alone

So many mums and dads struggling with Highly Sensitive Children assume that they’re the only ones who are finding parenting so hard — especially when their “orchid” is surrounded by easier-going “dandelions.”

Mum and dads who come to me have often already read many parenting books, and tried many standard parenting strategies — mostly with mixed results.

And they often describe how they find themselves getting overwhelmed, stressed and losing their patience — and then feeling guilty for shouting. They may also be fed up with feeling judged by other parents, or receiving well-meaning advice from people who just don’t understand their child.

Things are made worse by the unbelievable level of pressure these days for parents to get it “right” by striking the perfect balance of activities, homework, playdates and giving their child other opportunities to thrive.

Despite the enormous demands of modern parenting, many parents also tell me that they don’t feel valued, and that they find parenting can be a thankless task at times, with very little gratitude or validation.

When mums and dads feel so jaded, it’s not surprising that many are at a loss as to know the optimal way to help their child. But even a little understanding of sensitivity can lead to dramatic shifts, and help parents acquire new tools that are useful for supporting every child.

A big part of the reason I created The HSP Revolution was to support parents raising the next generation of HSPs. I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments, and very much hope to see you at the webinar next Thursday.

Until next week,