Lou was a difficult baby. Now that those days are over, I'm not shy about admitting it. He came hardwired that way. He cried a lot. He needed his mama a lot. He disliked people who were not his mama, though he did tolerate his papa. Beginning when he was very young, only a month or two old, he would scream when strangers so much as looked at him; loud, hysterical wails that left Wal-Mart shoppers and court house clerks to back away in despair. The stress of any family gatherings would cause him to cry, sometimes for hours, inconsolably. I remember one family barbecue on a bright day in May, walking Lou up and down the front sidewalk, tying to calm him as he screamed his fool head off. I don't think he ever calmed, so much as he simply conked out from all the exertion. Consider the effort it must take to scream for two solid hours, because someone dared to look at you.

The experts say his type of behavior comes from heightened sensitivity. The child is just overly sensitive to stimulus that happier, calmer babies can overlook. The world is an overwhelming place. I feel this way myself.

Lou is still a very sensitive child, though he tends to express that in more productive ways now that he's older. It's nice, for example, that he is very sensitive to our parental approval. He wants us to be pleased with him, and that sure works to our advantage in matters of discipline. Sometimes, though, it works to his own disadvantage. Movies and books have the potential to scare him silly. Last night, I allowed him to watch Alice in Wonderland, thinking the upcoming Disney vacation would be more meaningful with some background for the characters we'll meet. Oh my. He watched intently, but with increasing agitation. There is a point in the movie, where Alice breaks down in tears, because the disappearing cheshire cat points her in this direction and that, when she only wishes to find her home. That's when all hell broke lose last night, and Lou began hysterically screaming "Where's home? Where is IT?" But of course, he wouldn't let me turn off the movie. The Queen invited more hysterics. "No pushing, NO PUSHING!" he shouted through tears. After the movie was over, it took us half an hour to calm him down completely.

It will probably be a while before our next feature length film. A half an hour under the threat of Swiper the fox is quite enough emotional turmoil for a normal evening.

The researchers I cited above have determined that the early sensitivity may eventually work out to be an asset for the child. I suppose, like everything, it has its advantages and disadvantages. For some reason, I keep sensing he's going to become a Vegan. I don't know what to make of it.

Oh no not a Vegan, that's a bit extreme, especially when the fan mail from PETA starts to arrive.....just a simple veggie eater would be a healther choice. Sorry about the movie..a childhood friend of yours named Michael Tucker had nightmares about that very movie for months. He was afraid of falling into hole, such as the tub, sink, garage drains and also cats. I beleive he eventually out grew it...so there's hope. You should try Mickey and Minnie cartoons as those mice are everywhere in Disney and don't forget to visit Figment the dragon......