Parenting: Tiger, A Highly Sensitive Child?

I am awaiting the arrival of Elaine N. Aron's book; The Highly Sensitive Child.

Tiger was an introvert from Day 1, okay maybe not day one but he is SHY. I always thought that it was his temperament and never really gave it much thought. We just hug him a lot in crowded areas, give him time to warm up, etc.

Then lately, he staring displaying some weird behaviour like disliking his socks. He was always scratching the seams, even through his shoes at times.

Thinking back, he disliked swaddling as an infant..hah!

He was irritated with clothing labels, diapers. Always tugging, scratching....

Then there is the part where he is still easily startled and afraid of loud noises. That would include loud male voices like Daddy's. Just a little louder, not even scolding, mind you and Tiger would be reduced to tears.

His is easily disturbed by my moods or other children's crying. He would feel sad whenever another kid is throwing a tantrum or crying.

He notices little things like changing of furniture, curtains or newly trimmed trees in the park. The other day, I was driving past the lake when he noticed some newly planted shrubs, he said, "Mama, see...nice"

He is a perfectionist. No helping unless he asked for it. No broken crayons. (Unfortunately for me). He cleans like nobody's business and is very neat and clean.

Luckily he is okay with sleep, a little difficult to fall asleep after a hectic day but not fussy.

He asks questions all the time, Who? What? Where?

Here's a link to Aron's questionnaire on her Highly Sensitive Person website.

Luckily he did not display symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder.

Hopefully I will become a better parent with more understanding towards my child after reading the book.

In the meantime, if your child display the same traits as Tiger, I found this article succintly written and easy to read except for the small print.

So, after this, if anyone ask, "Why is Tiger so shy, like girl?" I would answer, "F*** off, he is just sensitive"

Hee hee....no lar, I am too nice, REALLY. I will just say, "He's gifted and you are not!".

Okay, I will probably just give a fake, polite smile :)

Right Brain: Ditoso Trial

I love the weekends! Simply because I get to spend them with my dear boy.

Funny how a simple bubble machine can bring so much joy.
So, thank you my dear sister, Ashleeprettimummy for buying this for us.

The highlight of our weekend was attending the trial class for right brain learning at Ditoso in Kota Kemuning.



I was curious to see Tiger's response to the class. The right brain method class is very different from our home practise sessions as well as Tweedlewink. At home, he gets to dictate his lessons and choose activities of his liking. Usually he would reject flashcards and right brain materials. In his Tweedlewink classes, well, since the material is cyclical, he was becoming a little restless and bored.

We met fellow blogger, Baby Darren who brought her daughter Isabel for the same trial class. Isabel is only three months older than Tiger.

Tiger who is usually slow to warm up and sensitive to new environment liked the place a lot.

There were six children in the trial class. Three girls and three boys. I am not sure about their exact age but they should be within 24-35 months. Tiger's nearly 24 months :)

We started with meditation and relaxation where they dimmed the lights while the teacher told a story of going to the park. A few children started crying, so I hugged Tiger and spoke to him softly. He was actually more relaxed after that and asked to sit on the chair by himself ^.^

The next half an hour was spent rather quickly with memory games. Tiger kept asking for more games. What's wrong with MY games at home? @.@

The flashcard segment was really fast, about three cards a second. Since I was the one who flashed to Tiger usually, this was the first time I was at the receiving end. Surprisingly, you can actually see each card clearly and Tiger was totally captivated and stayed focus the entire time. He was totally soaking it up!

I am not expecting Lil Tiger to develop super human memory or ESP powers with right brain training.

What I personally like about the method is the fact that it centers the childs attention & focus and I think we all understand how important those qualities are in life long learning. Maybe that's why children who attends Shichida classes fare better than their peers. It is their ability to pin point their concentration and maximise their absorption while others are running about and day dreaming during lessons.

I was explaining this to hubby (and MIL indirectly) en route to Midvalley after the trial class so that they can understand why I am paying so much for the lessons. Note the I AM PAYING.

Daddy  :   Wah. The lessons cost so much? Darn that HSBC message service. Hubs basically knows how much I spend each time I use the credit card >.<

Mommy: He really enjoyed the lessons. He was so focused.

Daddy  : New toilet, nice to shit (translated from Hokkien)

Grandma: WAHAHAHA!

Mommy: @.@

I have signed up for one term since Tiger really enjoyed the lesson. In June, we will be attending both Tweedlewink and Ditoso but we may withold Tweedlewink next term as two enrichment classes is gonna burn a hole in my pocket.

Phonics play: SMART puzzles

We usually end our nightly 'school' sessions with games or puzzles.

Sometimes we just play with puzzles all night if Tiger wants to.

This Alphabet Match Up from SMART is one of his favourite at the moment.

Actually anything with alphabets will do :)

He calls it "A B C"



Pic from kids.net.my



These are pretty reasonable at about RM18.90 each

 I managed to get several for RM10 each during the Toy R us warehouse sales.

Here's a link to kids.net.my for their selection of SMART puzzles.

Sometimes, I get to be lazy and sit aside to observe.

Other times, he would make me put on the puppets to play with him.

I can tell you that it is no fun handling pieces of puzzles with your fingers wrapped up in fluff.

He loves this game, especially when he thinks I am trying to beat him in finding the next piece.

Looking for 'u"

Neat, huh?

The moment he completes the puzzle, he would mess it up and start again.

As usual, I choose puzzles according to Tiger's interest and ability instead of the recommended age.

Since the single and double-piece puzzles no longer interest him, we have moved on to these as well.

Nothing to do with phonics but pretty interesting as the pieces all come in different sizes.

Each individual puzzle is 4-6 pieces.

These are available in Popular Bookstores for RM17.90 each



Pic from popular.sg



We are attending a right brain school trial class this weekend.

I will share our experience with this Shichida method school in the coming week.

Have a great weekend!

I know we will.