4th of July is hard for her

4th of July has always been a hard day for our daughter. She has sensory processing issues. The fireworks going off all day just overloaded her. Last year she did ok. She wore ear muffs that block the sound and it helped a lot.

June was a lot. We took a huge family trip and we moved. She struggles with changes but she did so well. But I could see her wearing down. So when she came to us and said she needed a break I wasn't surprised. Honestly I think I need one too. My OCD is extra right now and I'm having a lot of tics and outbursts. I've been holding them in way too much as well.

So Joel and the boys will go to Grandma's and Sissy and I will relax here. We'll sit by the fireplace and watch movies. We make s'mores indoors. Than we'll watch fireworks on YouTube muted.

She asked me for one of her anxiety pills today. She hasn't asked for one in months. She didn't even take one on our vacation.

So today will be a lazy day for both of us

PicturesOfABetterTomorrow · 41-45, M

You sound like a pretty awesome dad.

Sorry to hear your daughter is struggling with that. Being a base brat I saw vets dealing with similar anxiety for different reasons but triggered by things like fireworks. Fortunately you seem to be on top of this and people are much more understanding now than they were 30 or 40 years ago.

Mamapolo2016 · F

This may come off as weird, but here goes. I know humans and dogs are different, but it seems to me this might be something that might help.

I had a Corgi, Clancy, who was quite a sane confident affectionate dog. Around his second birthday, he developed a terror involving loud noises. I mean absolute terror. We came home from a picnic on the Fourth, and he had gone insane. Not aggressive, just crazed. He literally tried to bite off pieces of the floor molding, raced around over coffee tables and hurled himself into walls, trying to exit. He didn’t even know we were there.

I got him a Thundershirt. If you’re not familiar, it’s a snug-fitting kind of sweatshirt for dogs. It’s like a long-term hug. And it worked so well that within a year he didn’t need it anymore.

I don’t know what the human equivalent would look like - but has any research been done?

Edit: https://calmcare.com/

Mamapolo2016 · F

@Cigarguy You’re not alone, my friend. The majority of parents have those thoughts. There’s no recognized manual. One does the best one can while actively learning and seeking counsel.