How Do You Parent a Child Who Notices Everything?

How much notice of things do you actually take? My son notices everything—and I mean everything. Whether it’s a small change in his surroundings or something new about a person, his attention to detail never misses a beat. He can walk into a room and immediately know if I’ve moved something; it’s almost as though he senses it.

We had an issue over Christmas with his presents when I moved them half an inch, and he went mad. So now, the Christmas presents are still there. I daren’t move them because of how sensitive he is to change. I know I need a plan to tidy up, but I can’t face it yet, so they remain in the living room in a messy pile and I am wondering whether these presents will still be there next Christmas.

His attention to detail isn’t just about objects—it extends to people, too, from their looks to their smells. My son will pick out something about the way someone looks or smells  and use that to constantly describe them. The children in his classroom are all described like this (names have been changed).

“Leah with the big eyebrows.”
“Erin with the big eyes.”
“Jacob with the chubby cheeks.”
“Tommy with the white hair.”
“Elliot with the big nose.”

Even teachers aren’t safe….

“Mrs Johnson with the orange hair”
“Mr Smith with the funny arms”

And recently my son has gotten a new teacher so on her first day I asked him how she was and he said…..

“She has got the biggest nose I have ever seen. It is bigger than yours.”

And he laughed and laughed and laughed. Now if you have read Why do you have such a big nose? you will know my nose is an ongoing issue for my son! I have learnt to laugh about it though.

I remember when he first met our Early Help Worker I asked him how it was and he said….

“She smelt lovely.”

Nothing else. Just that she smelt lovely.

This attention to detail can get us into trouble quite a bit. If you have ever been to a party with my son it’s like a game of Russian roulette where you never know what bullet he is going to fire next. We recently went to a Christmas Eve party where there were 40 of us. All of who I had known most of my life. All of who knew my son. We had arrived at this party early – that is definitely the best way for my son and it allowed us to have a pick of the seats we wanted. My son choose and we were sat directly opposite the door where people came in. This allowed him the perfect view of everyone that came in and left which I think helped him but as people came in he gave a running commentary on each person and what they looked like or what he had noticed about them…….things such as…..

“Why does Grandma smell so bad?”
“Look at Grandad’s big belly.” (while laughing and pointing)
“What has Ethan done to his hair. He looks so weird.”
“Why is that adult so small. She is tiny”
“That girl has funny coloured hair.”

And these are just the few I remember. And my son talks loud. Now I have learnt a long long time ago not to take offence at what my son says but I am sure other people may not be so tolerant. So its like standing on a cliff edge waiting to see whether the person heard and wondering whether you have to try and fix the situation.

Life with my son is unpredictable, hilarious, and sometimes mortifying. His attention to detail is both a gift and a challenge, and while it can make social situations tricky, it’s also a part of what makes him so uniquely him. And as long as you don’t take offence, which thankfully none of my immediate family members do then it can be quite hilarious being out with him.

Raising a child who notices everything certainly keeps me on my toes… and occasionally raises a few eyebrows….depending on how big they are!!!!