There are days Owen can’t even handle if I walk into the other room. I went into his bedroom, which he still calls “mommy’s room”, to put something away. I turned the light on, walked to his dresser, and before I could even open it he was screaming for me to “turn of de light”. I opened the drawer, told him not to turn the light off, and he was beside me closing the drawer before I could think through all the steps. He went back to the light trying to turn it off again and I told him that I would turn it off when I was done. This brought screams. I made him come back into the room to stand next to me. I told him that mommy has to have the light on sometimes and that I can’t always sit. The screams started again and I made him count to ten trying to keep the meltdown at bay. It was quickly going to be a meltdown if I didn’t sit. Meltdowns can last for hours and hours and hours and hours and days if I don’t stop the moving train. And once a meltdown starts it’s truly an emotional ride for both of us. Some meltdowns are only a few minutes but the other ones are exhausting. It’s hard to keep pushing forward when a meltdown is right on the verge and so I sit. We had goulash for dinner. When you are already overwhelmed it’s hard to remember to say use your spoon on every bite. He would much rather eat with his fingers but here he was switching between his left hand and right seamlessly. He’s never been a big beef eater but I think we might be turning that corner. He’s reading more words every day for me. I’m excited to see his progress. The journey with autism can be emotional but the joy comes every day when I see my child blooming. Never give up. Today is the first stepping stone to the growth of tomorrow. Smiles to all and donut daze!
RSS Feed