Late for School...Again
Jan 19, 2022
Frustrated cries wind their way down the stairs to assail me. My shoulders tense, rising 2 inches to greet my ears. I sigh, my heart dropping with my out breath.
8.30am Monday, a school day. ‘Not again!’ flashes through my mind.
My chest tightening, irritation snapping at my heels, I climb the stairs to my daughter’s bedroom hearing the cries grow louder with each step I take. On the floor of the bedroom, a writhing, tantruming mess is playing out. Small hands claw to strip off socks & pull at her dress collar as my daughter screams in anger.
My desperate pleas to keep her uniform on, falling on deaf ears as the shrieks rise to a crescendo. My ears ring & blood pressure rises. A thousand thoughts whizz through my head like a swarm of angry bees:
What have I done wrong? I’m such a failure as a parent that I can’t even get my child to school on time.. Have I raised a monster? Is there something fundamentally wrong with my daughter? Can I turn this around in 5 minutes & still make it before the school bell rings?
Is there anyone out there who can help me??
All the while, fighting a growing, scary, urge to grab my daughter by the shoulders & give her a sharp slap to just stop the siren-like wailing, or throw her out the window. Eventually the tantrum subsides sufficiently, & with a super-human effort on my part, the hot, sweaty mess is coerced off the floor & dressed – again – in her offending uniform.
Later, after finally making school drop-off, I arrive on a friend’s doorstep & instantly burst into my own tears of frustration. It’s not even 9am & the exhaustion from riding the emotional rollercoaster of my daughter’s emotions already threatens to cripple me. Inside, over a cup of soothing tea, my friend hands me a book – The Highly Sensitive Child by Dr Elaine Aron & says ‘I think you need to read this.’
Only a few chapters in, I’m struck by 2 realisations – the 1st brings blessed relief – my daughter isn’t a monster, she’s just a Highly Sensitive Child in overwhelm! The 2nd, even more profound – I’m Highly Sensitive as well!
Learning this is like finding the missing jigsaw piece to my life. Everything starts to fall into place for me – why I feel different, never fitting in anywhere, wearing my heart on my sleeve, noticing things that others seem to miss, my tendency to ‘over-think’ & not just let things go.. The light bulbs go off, like flashes of a paparazzi’s camera.
I’d finally been given the right user manual for ME.
Since discovering I’m a Highly Sensitive Person, I’ve learnt how to manage my Overwhelm & pay attention to the environments I spend time in. I’ve come to embrace my sensitivity & fully appreciate it as a superpower.
Our ability as Highly Sensitive People, to think deeply, process deeply, empathise with others, feel intensely, notice things others miss & see the Big Picture are all things that our World desperately needs – now more than ever.
I now understand I’m wired differently & need to live my life in a way that honours my sensitive nature. Through practicing extreme self-care & maintaining boundaries, I can stand fully in my sensitive power, ready to show up & make the difference I know I’m here to make. And you can too.
My Vision is to live in a World filled with sensitive female leaders. Where our children see their sensitive mothers standing in their Power. Where companies are run by sensitive female decision-makers. Where countries are governed by sensitive, compassionate women.
The World needs to hear our sensitive voices.
Together we can restore balance, kindness & unity to the World – sensitively.
