sons, homeschool, poetry
My son in incredibly sensitive. He has been that child who would respond to the background music of a show before I even noticed that any music was playing. He will be upset by any person trying to control another person in any way. He will sound it out whenever he notices a quiet person feeling alone. He's the kid who will say it rather than keep quiet. He is deeply in tune to the emotions of the people around him. He is also deeply in tune to his own feelings.
Yes, John and I often commiserate over how difficult it is to be an empathic person in the world at large. For his part, he struggles to keep a positive attitude.
He's fourteen now, the age of angst.
I would never belittle this age, or make fun of it, or tease a person experiencing the pain and struggle of figuring out who they are, (as was done to me constantly; who would do such a thing?) what the world is doing, what the meaning of all of this is...
Nearly every day he and I have conversations about what has happened as he's moved through the day. He can be quite overwhelmed with his feelings so we talk often about ways to cope, ways to handle overwhelming feelings, how to comfort oneself, how to express oneself, and how to manage the intricacy that some issues bring.
The other day we talked about journaling and poetry. As a former angst-er myself I told him that I used to write tons of terrible poetry and that I've written books and books of journals, trying to find my way out of cognitive cages of my own construction. He was surprised that I had enjoyed a balladry period. I didn't know what effect that conversation would have on him.
In the past two days he has written tons of poetry, good poetry, bad poetry, deep poetry. He is a veritable dilettante odist . His thoughts are rich and metaphorical, emotive and universal, ambitious and adept. More importantly, he is discovering a new part of himself, as he told me, that seeks to express itself through metaphor so that more people can relate to it. A part that appreciates the exquisite difference between two synonyms. A part that is empowered by language.
On top of this new exploration of his, John has figured out exactly what is so amazing about this writing effort:
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Other posts you might enjoy:
He's So Scawy
My Son Doesn't Like to Write
Growing Pains
Gripe!
Yes, John and I often commiserate over how difficult it is to be an empathic person in the world at large. For his part, he struggles to keep a positive attitude.
He's fourteen now, the age of angst.
I would never belittle this age, or make fun of it, or tease a person experiencing the pain and struggle of figuring out who they are, (as was done to me constantly; who would do such a thing?) what the world is doing, what the meaning of all of this is...
The other day we talked about journaling and poetry. As a former angst-er myself I told him that I used to write tons of terrible poetry and that I've written books and books of journals, trying to find my way out of cognitive cages of my own construction. He was surprised that I had enjoyed a balladry period. I didn't know what effect that conversation would have on him.
In the past two days he has written tons of poetry, good poetry, bad poetry, deep poetry. He is a veritable dilettante odist . His thoughts are rich and metaphorical, emotive and universal, ambitious and adept. More importantly, he is discovering a new part of himself, as he told me, that seeks to express itself through metaphor so that more people can relate to it. A part that appreciates the exquisite difference between two synonyms. A part that is empowered by language.
On top of this new exploration of his, John has figured out exactly what is so amazing about this writing effort:
I'm a poet, and I didn't even know that I was!
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| Get it? |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Other posts you might enjoy:
He's So Scawy
My Son Doesn't Like to Write
Growing Pains
Gripe!
This is beautiful. How lucky he is to have parents who recognize and understand this part of him, rather than just lamenting "you're too sensitive". I'm wondering if you guys have read the book The Survival Guide for Highly Sensitive People?
ReplyDeleteNO, I haven't seen that book...but I could have written it. ;)
DeleteSRSLY, I'll check it out, Mama B!
OH! Also, I have read a different book called "The Highly Sensitive Child" by Elaine N. Aron several years ago...pretty good. ;)
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