My Z-man had one ear infection after the next for the first year of his life. We literally would finish the antibiotic, wait a week, and be back in the doctor's office asking for more. About this time last year, he had tubes put in his ears and has been infection free since then. As we were doing pre-surgery appointments, we learned that Z had significant hearing loss in one ear (about 90%). The surgery, thankfully, returned his hearing to 100%, as the damage to the ear drums from infection after infection healed.
I am so thankful that Z-man had the surgery but since last August, he has been sensitive to loud sounds. Vacuum cleaners, loud trucks, blenders, his vibrating tooth brush, music too loud...It seems to have become more pronounced recently (as fears often do around two).
We were at the aquarium with my brother this summer and he offered to take Z to wash his hands after they played in a touch tank. Z hesitated and then asked me to take him instead. He got very sad in the bathroom and explained that he wanted to go with his uncle but he was scared that the hand dryer would be loud and his uncle wouldn't have known not to use it around him. This was such a small thing, but it crushed me. I hate that his fear of something prevented him from doing what he wanted to.
My challenge? Equipping Z-man with a way he can be in charge of managing this fear (and hopefully a starting ground for doing the same with future fears). Until then, I had been quickly ushering him out of bathrooms, turning noise down if possible, and walking out of the hallway the janitor at school was cleaning. As much as I want to be able to solve it all, I have to give him the tools to resolve things himself.
Now, we pretend to put on "head phones." They are magical headphones that can
I am so thankful that Z-man had the surgery but since last August, he has been sensitive to loud sounds. Vacuum cleaners, loud trucks, blenders, his vibrating tooth brush, music too loud...It seems to have become more pronounced recently (as fears often do around two).
We were at the aquarium with my brother this summer and he offered to take Z to wash his hands after they played in a touch tank. Z hesitated and then asked me to take him instead. He got very sad in the bathroom and explained that he wanted to go with his uncle but he was scared that the hand dryer would be loud and his uncle wouldn't have known not to use it around him. This was such a small thing, but it crushed me. I hate that his fear of something prevented him from doing what he wanted to.
My challenge? Equipping Z-man with a way he can be in charge of managing this fear (and hopefully a starting ground for doing the same with future fears). Until then, I had been quickly ushering him out of bathrooms, turning noise down if possible, and walking out of the hallway the janitor at school was cleaning. As much as I want to be able to solve it all, I have to give him the tools to resolve things himself.
Now, we pretend to put on "head phones." They are magical headphones that can
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| Putting on headphones as a train passed by the playground today. |
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