No-Pain Boy

I didn't know I was raising a superhero.

It appears that my boy has a very high pain tolerance. This was confirmed a few weeks ago when we visited the allergist. I assumed his allergies weren't bad because he didn't even try to scratch the large welts on his back. The doctor was amazed. That same visit, the doctor poked at least 16 needles in Jonah's upper arm. Jonah just looked at me around #13 and said, "That hurts, Mama." No tears. No screaming. No need to physically restrain him while the doctor was completing the test. The doctor shook his head in disbelief.

We went to this same doctor today for a checkup now that he's on some allergy medications. We were in the office for three minutes. He looked at his eyes, his ears, and his throat, and immediately said, "He's got strep throat...He must have a high pain tolerance." He obviously didn't remember us from before-- but that's not the point. The point is that Jonah has a pretty nasty throat right now and has acted normal-- never once complaining that his throat hurt. I know it's all part of his sensory issues that I've talked about before.

So I've nicknamed him No-Pain Boy. This "condition" does have its benefits. He rarely cries if he's hurt, and I know if he comes running to me on the playground with tears streaming down his face, it's serious. He's not afraid to try anything, and even if he falls, he stands up and keeps running. He's brave. He's a risk-taker. He's all boy.

Yet there are some problems that arise too. Yes, that's right--he could be sick and I wouldn't even know it. He'd leap tall buildings in a single bound if I'd let him. He can't really comprehend the word "gentle."

I imagine he'll be in the Guiness Book of World Records someday-- for walking a mile over cut glass or something like that.

For now, he's my little superhero.