Top4 will be eight in a few weeks time. She is as headstrong as ever, which involves tantrums, followed by storytelling about anger feeding the little dog barking in her head. (I’ve discussed this on my Dutch blog here.) She accepts my story, slowly digests it, and, afterwards, produces lots of happy hugs and happy drawings, invariably with a heart or two in it.
Though she is comfortable in her own skin, her bodily functions scare her just as much as her overwhelming emotions. I think this comes with the territory of being highly sensitive. It’s not uncommon for HSP’s to be sensitive to the touch of textile on their bare skin, to clothing that fits too tight, to weird freckles or, in Top4s case, a tooth hanging loose for months on end. She’s tried to ignore it for a long time, but now the tooth is dangling, she’s summoning up the tooth fairy regularly, with cards and drawings and notes, preparing herself for the day it will finally come out.
I know she knows the tooth fairy does not exist. And I guess she knows I know she knows. Together, we keep up the magic. Telling stories is a good way to deal with the unpleasant aspects of life.
(Her card says: “Dear Tooth Fairy, Please pay attention, I think my tooth will come out soon.”)