She also interrupts a lot and seems to need a ton of attention. She also insists on interacting with me a good portion of the day and cannot stop speaking to the point that my head will pound. I feel bad that I cannot handle this level of intensity that many hours, but I have my limits.
I did not have the level of intensity with either of my children that you are describing, but I thought I'd share just a little, anyway.
There were times when it seemed like dd's "attention cup" would never be full. That she always wanted more, and it would always be more than I could give her. It was exhausting, even anticipating the amount of energy it was going to take. Honestly, I found myself shrinking away. On the phone, or on the computer or talking to a friend just to get away for a bit. And I think that's normal. But I also found that the days where I would fight that tendency were the days that went better. If I could match her intensity level for a bit... "let's read this story. No, wait, first let's bake something so we can read while the cake is cooking!" If I could maintain the attention and intensity for an extended amount of time, then when it was time for "me time" she would happily comply. It's as if I had to overfill that attention cup before it was "enough".
