Wednesday, March 25, 2009

a lightbulb moment

We've known for quite some time that Logan is hyposensitive to touch. That means that he craves physical input--perpetually touching things and seeking sensory input through contact. It also means that he's ALWAYS wanting to be touched, held, picked up, or so close that he's basically on top of me. We go through every day with him trying hard to "become one" with Mama. And while I love him dearly, he's a) not the only child in this house with needs; and b) so dang squirmy it's hard to have him hanging on me every minute.

We've finally gotten to a place where he understands that he can be near me, that he can help me, and that he can hold my hand or be right next to me, but I'm not going to spend every minute of every day trying to hold the child who wiggles like jello. That was hard for him, but now he gets it: to sit on Mom's lap, he needs to sit still! Ahhhh....progress.

Then today something dawned on me, and I feel a bit like a heel: Logan is hyposensitive to touch, yes, but his love language is physical touch! Not sure why I didn't connect the two before. The combination is like a 1-2 punch. His hyposensitivity means his brain doesn't receive the same touch sensations that you and I do; he needs much more touch to calm his "touch receptors." Add to it that he receives the "I love you" message best by physical touch, and you have quite the little package. Now, my love language is touch too, but I'm nowhere as undersensitive as Logan, so my needs are met much more simply. This is gonna make me nuts, I think. But maybe understanding it will help.

Feeling a bit slow on the uptake here...

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