Thirteen is going to be an interesting age. I feel like it is directly like one of those I always ask. Is it autism, age, or Owen? The three mix and mingle together but there are definitely moments where I know which is which. And right now age, hormones, and pushing the limits are all on his agenda.
All the nights and days are blending together. He was up around three with all his bells and whistles armed and ready. My answer was yes to all his demands and he still brought it all to the table. Tonight’s episode brought out the spitting. It was more controlled than last night though but still an adventure. He is definitely pushing the boundaries but I feel like part of it is pure exhaustion and he doesn’t know how to express it all. After an hour of all that he let me sleep again but came back around four. I told him that he had to wait until five to come back again and this time he listened.
I decided I would not take him to see his grandma. He was much calmer by morning but there were still moments he was acting out and he was beyond exhausted. I didn’t know if there was a right answer to what I should do but I knew it was all hard for him to process.
He came to me and talked to me about waking up early. I told him that it isn’t just about him waking up early but also about how he treats me and how we treat other people. He said again we give kindness and grace to others. I’m thankful he knows the right answer and I hope he will continue to make the connection to this behavior.
He was exhausted all day. He had his head in his hands lying down on my bed but wouldn’t fall back asleep. I do want to get him into more physical activities but finding something he likes is the issue. I think that will help him with some of these sleepless nights.
By the afternoon he was getting wound up and trying to show videos he knew I did not want to see. He thinks it is funny to show me videos of dentistry and eyeballs or anything else that he thinks I’m not going to like. This is where that age-appropriate part comes in. What teenager doesn’t want to gross out their mom or push their buttons? This is a behavior that I think will only be rectified by a tablet timeout if he doesn’t stop doing this.
I think he is feeling the pressure of all the things happening that he can’t control like school getting out soon but I can’t let it control what I do to help him get through the process. Yesterday I knew what I should have done but I still let him control so much of the moments. I try to avoid meltdowns but sometimes I think he is just going to have to go through it and so am I to get to the next steps. Meltdowns are hard to think about and I hope that I can continue to get him to work through the process.
The amount of things he has stored in his head is incredible. He said that Saturday is the 31st. It is wild how he can name random dates so far ahead. He is full of surprises with all of this information.
Tomorrow is routine and maybe that will help him sleep tonight. By the end of the day we had worked through several things and I hope they stick. I pray tonight is a better night for him. At least he was in a better mood or maybe it was me that was in the better mood. He sat with me a lot again today. He’s excited about going to school tomorrow. He told me he was laughing to make me happy and that makes me very happy. Today is the first day of the rest of your life so make each moment count. Smiles to all and donut daze!
All the nights and days are blending together. He was up around three with all his bells and whistles armed and ready. My answer was yes to all his demands and he still brought it all to the table. Tonight’s episode brought out the spitting. It was more controlled than last night though but still an adventure. He is definitely pushing the boundaries but I feel like part of it is pure exhaustion and he doesn’t know how to express it all. After an hour of all that he let me sleep again but came back around four. I told him that he had to wait until five to come back again and this time he listened.
I decided I would not take him to see his grandma. He was much calmer by morning but there were still moments he was acting out and he was beyond exhausted. I didn’t know if there was a right answer to what I should do but I knew it was all hard for him to process.
He came to me and talked to me about waking up early. I told him that it isn’t just about him waking up early but also about how he treats me and how we treat other people. He said again we give kindness and grace to others. I’m thankful he knows the right answer and I hope he will continue to make the connection to this behavior.
He was exhausted all day. He had his head in his hands lying down on my bed but wouldn’t fall back asleep. I do want to get him into more physical activities but finding something he likes is the issue. I think that will help him with some of these sleepless nights.
By the afternoon he was getting wound up and trying to show videos he knew I did not want to see. He thinks it is funny to show me videos of dentistry and eyeballs or anything else that he thinks I’m not going to like. This is where that age-appropriate part comes in. What teenager doesn’t want to gross out their mom or push their buttons? This is a behavior that I think will only be rectified by a tablet timeout if he doesn’t stop doing this.
I think he is feeling the pressure of all the things happening that he can’t control like school getting out soon but I can’t let it control what I do to help him get through the process. Yesterday I knew what I should have done but I still let him control so much of the moments. I try to avoid meltdowns but sometimes I think he is just going to have to go through it and so am I to get to the next steps. Meltdowns are hard to think about and I hope that I can continue to get him to work through the process.
The amount of things he has stored in his head is incredible. He said that Saturday is the 31st. It is wild how he can name random dates so far ahead. He is full of surprises with all of this information.
Tomorrow is routine and maybe that will help him sleep tonight. By the end of the day we had worked through several things and I hope they stick. I pray tonight is a better night for him. At least he was in a better mood or maybe it was me that was in the better mood. He sat with me a lot again today. He’s excited about going to school tomorrow. He told me he was laughing to make me happy and that makes me very happy. Today is the first day of the rest of your life so make each moment count. Smiles to all and donut daze!
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