Raising a Highly Sensitive Child: When to Push, When to Pause & How to Build Resilience
Raising a Highly Sensitive Child: When to Push, When to Pause & How to Build Resilience
Episode 6 | Featuring Amy Lajiness, LCSW, PMH-C
How do you know when your child needs a gentle push—and when they really need you to pause?
If you're raising a highly sensitive child, you've probably wrestled with this question.
You want to protect them from situations that feel overwhelming. But you also want them to grow, build confidence, and learn to navigate a world that isn't always designed with their needs in mind.
So how do we find that balance?
In Part 2 of my conversation with therapist Amy Lajiness, we're shifting our focus from highly sensitive parents to highly sensitive children.
We explore what high sensitivity looks like in kids, how sensory experiences and emotional intensity can affect their everyday lives, and why understanding a child's individual needs matters more than following a one-size-fits-all approach.
We talk about the window of tolerance, the difference between gently stretching a child's comfort zone and overwhelming them, and how to support resilience without asking children to ignore what they're feeling.
We also discuss masking, people-pleasing, and why some children need time to decompress after holding everything together throughout the school day.
And we come back to one of the biggest questions parents ask:
Am I helping my child build resilience—or am I pushing them beyond what they can handle?
Whether your child feels things deeply, struggles with transitions, gets overwhelmed in busy environments, or needs more recovery time than other kids, this conversation offers a thoughtful way to understand and support them.
Because resilience doesn't have to mean becoming less sensitive.
Resources to Explore
Highly Sensitive Parenthood — Explore Amy's work and resources.
Highly Sensitive Person self-test — Explore the trait of high sensitivity.
Missed Part 1?
In Episode 5, Amy and I explore highly sensitive parenting, overstimulation, guilt, and getting the support you need.
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