I had a flashback to the screams from Owen as I was wiping my eye with my finger, under the rim of my glasses. There were no screams this time, but he used to scream every time I took my glasses off or wiped my eyes. Today, he only kept repeating, “get in de car”. For some reason, he doesn’t want to walk to the bus stop anymore. It’s only a short distance, but now he wants to take the car. I see progress as he works through these things, even though it’s not always easy for me to understand what he is going through. I can’t figure out why walking to the bus stop is a concern for him now. He’s still very fascinated by how he can shock me. The gleam in his eyes is incredible as he works through the steps. He hasn’t succeeded with doing it on purpose, but somehow he has been shocking me, or maybe I’m shocking him, with the drag of our feet. I remember as a kid doing the same type of things, also wanting to have the static electricity in my hair. I loved rubbing balloons on my hair so it would stick straight up. I’m hesitant to show Owen that with my own hair because it has been a trigger for his meltdowns. He doesn’t get as upset if I wear it back or in a hat as he did before, but it’s still hard for him to handle. Something like me pushing my hair behind my ears has caused him to scream for hours, crying in my arms. There are days that everything seems to stop him in his tracks and other times he is not phased by something that set him off the day before or the minute before. All I can do is talk through it with him. I try to focus on our progress and not the process. And I try to stay one step ahead of the meltdowns. I know Owen thrives when I remain calm, talk to him about the great things he is doing, and keep him focused on tasks. Positive words and positive actions equal a positive life. Make today matter. Smiles to all and donut daze!
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