Sensitive or Insecure?

Raise Emotionally Resilient Children

“My child is very sensitive,” said Melba. “I make every effort to protect him from insults, from being excluded, and from other uncaring behaviors. I worry, though: It seems he is becoming even more sensitive and less able to make friends. How can I help him to handle life without falling apart emotionally?”

Our culture values emotional protection over emotional resilience. This so-called “sensitivity” is a learned response—the result of well-intended parenting and social concepts of overprotecting the child from human experiences.