Please Don't Let Me Get Dirty!

You know how most kids are into playing in the dirt and mud and making messes. HistoryBoy was not like that. He would NOT touch a finger paint. He hated digging in the sand at the beach. He loved playing in the ocean but he had to wash off the sand. If he got food on his hand he had to wipe it off. These were all big clues to a sensory issue, but we always joked that he got my mom's clean freak genes. These are issues that can be worked on with most kids. We kept trying working with fingers paint. Here was something I tried. I used a paint with water book and let him dip his finger in the water. His fingers stay relatively clean and he colors. He thought it was neat. It is all in the baby steps. He is to the point now, where he will use fingers paint but he has to be allowed to wash his hands off as soon as he is done. And we let him not feel it was an issue. He didn't like having his hands dirty, so I had wipes or he made trips to the bathroom to wash his hands. It is what made him feel comfortable. Now he loves puddles and splashing, although he is usually wearing his sneakers at the time. Sand is something that he found out sea turtles build nests in so it must be cool to play in. Again, baby steps. We all take the world in in our own way.

I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment or email me at teenahope@gmail.com