Why? Because all of the other ones are uncomfortable – they itch his feet. No problem!
Solution – go to store and buy 12 of the same exact same pair of socks.
Parenting a child with sensory processing disorder (SPD) really can be this simple.
What get’s in the way? Parents do. Parents sometimes feel they need to control everything. “He should do what I say.”, “I’m the parent and I decide what is best for my child.”. “He needs to just deal with it and get over it.”
Not really.
Your child should decide what is best for him/ her as long as it isn’t harmful.
I had this conversation with my 9 year old SPD kid this morning, as I was helping him pick out his outfit. He still wants to be cared for, but he makes all the final choices regarding anything that goes on his body. I picked out sweats, a t-shirt, and undies I knew he would wear. Then I picked out the wrong pair of socks. I bought him some short, white ones a few months ago, and I’ve noticed him wear them every now and then, but I guess today wasn’t the day.
Him: “I don’t want to wear the white ones, give me the orange and gray.”
Me: “Those have strings hanging from them, and don’t match your outfit, how about the white ones?
Him: “I like the orange and gray, they feel good. They don’t itch. I want to be comfortable.”
Me: “Yes, you are right. It’s better to be comfortable then itch all day.”
Note to self – Take child to store so he can pick out new soft, no seam socks because these will soon have holes from overuse!
So he looked over my clothing choices, approved the outfit and our day started on a great note!
Why? Because that tiny situation was a huge success!
We have those all the time. All day. Tiny moments that are huge successes.
Kids with sensory issues struggle with overwhelming sensory input. Our number one job as parents is to teach them to control and manage their experience. We need to teach them what they can do for their bodies that work. Should we force them into something uncomfortable because we say so? No. Should we force them because we want them to look better? No.
A huge parenting lesson is teaching our children that they can control what happens too their bodies and set boundaries around what feels good and what feels bad. And when they voice those boundaries, we listen! We respect their boundaries. This lesson will help them forever. Giving these kids the tools to learn how to control their bodies is huge!
So the kid wears socks that don’t match, that are starting to get worn down with strings sticking out. It’s not a big deal.