Sensitive 5 Year Old Cries at Anything

My 10 yr old started doing this too at this age. We have tried everything the good and the bad. He is still an over sensitive child and you know what that's ok. The only thing that helps is he gets to talk to the school counselor. Bugging him to much about why he cries WILL only in time make things worse. The biggest mistake I have come across is "he needs to toughen up." His father had this look on it and it only hurt my sons feelings. This is not a maturity issue unless the crying follows with a tantrum. Stay strong and check into finding him someone outside of the family to talk.

hi S.,
I understand your concern, I tihnk the best way to go about it is when he starts to cry for an unecessary reason get down at eye level and ask him " what is wrong, you need to stop crying and tell mommy what is wrong like a big boy" once he tells you you can say " you don't have to cry you need to talk to me and tell me what the problem is so I can fix it, do you understand??" that way you don't have to get upset and everyone is happy, ok? " make sure to use a calm voice and a happier tone when asking the ok? and do you understand? that ways he knows your not MAD at him for expressing emotion but that there are more constructive ways to communicate that require less energy, I use this with my 2 1/2 year old and she does really well she pulls it together and tells me what the problem is and we fix it and she's all smiles in no time. give it a few days and he'll adjust, good luck to ya :)

My 3 1/2 year old is the same way! Very sensitive. He cries every day. I don't know what to do about it either. Well at least I know I'm not alone! He has a little girlfriend who really knows how to push is buttons and make him cry. She'll say things like, "you need to go to bed now" and he'd cry. Little vixen! Anyway, I have no advice other than talk to him, try to have him count to 10, it works sometimes with my boy, and try to make him giggle. If my boy hurts himself I'll try to make a bigger deal out of it and it makes him laugh. I'll say, will you live?? Do I need to call 911??? It's funny and it usually gets him out of it. Good luck!

S.,

My son is pretty much the same way. He loves to play sports with his father alone. If the neighbor kid comes over (we don't have fences so he usually just comes right in our yard) and runs over and kicks the ball then our son would get upset and cry and say forget it..I'm not playin now. He is definitly sensitive, but I have to appreciate it because he is always telling us how he loves us and his sister and little brother and what makes him soo very happy and what makes him sad or mad. I appreciate that he can express his feelings this way. My husband and I just try to tell him "thats nothing to cry about... we just need to fix it" stuff like that, but we are not too hard on him as this to us just clearly seems like part of his little personality that he'll grow out of. He has gotten better since he was 4. If he likes something he will really show his emotions and laugh and giggle.. I really wouldn't worry about it. Boys will be who they are and we have to just enjoy them and make them feel loved no matter what. Some Fathers are hard on their sons if they are like this. I am thankful that my husband is not too hard on him.. He just tries to let him know that crying really won't help the situation. Good Luck! :)

Some children (and adults) are hardwired to be more sensative. It's not a bad thing in general.. but what we used to do at the daycare I worked at, was get right down on their level, and ask them to please tell us what was upsetting them, when they calmed down. Give them a hug, and a kiss on the head along with a few moments to get themselves back in control, then ask again for the calm "word way of telling" what made them upset. He may always get the urge to cry when things don't happen how he envisions them, but hopefully, over time, you'll be able to hear the problem before it becomes a big issue.

Please,
When did it become a bad thing to be sensitive or cry? Crying is ok if he is frustrated or sad and he should not be encouraged to suck it up and bury it. Let it run it's course and he will be fine and playing in no time. The more you dwell on it the worse it will be.
C.