Owen slept late and was ready to get to school. As we were getting ready to go wait for the bus I asked him what he would like to do after school. He said, “Get pizza and chicken.” I said, “Where should we get the pizza?” He said, “Gino’s drive-thru.” This alone was progress for him to keep making these suggestions and to work through all the steps to get a pizza and take it to his grandma. He was very anxious while we were waiting for the bus. He kept saying, “Ride bus school ride bus home.” He wants me to acknowledge it and say, “You know the answer.” Saying the exact words he wants me to say just keeps us in circles. It takes all my energy to refocus him on something else only for him to come right back to it. It’s also extremely hard to train your brain to not constantly answer the wrong thing or even the right thing. And each response brings on another set of responses that would need to be made. The bus came and off he went. I kept telling myself to still be happy about the progress no matter what happened when he came home from school. He has been wearing a safety harness for years now because when he was younger he wouldn’t always sit in his seat. The decision was made so he no longer has to wear it. When he came home I watched him wait until the bus came to a complete stop, then he got up and walked to get off the bus. That was such a huge step. It is more steps towards his independence. He watched the bus leave and he immediately said, “Stay home no pizza” and wanted me in a dress. When we walked inside I thought we might be able to go through the process and he might decide to go. He had it on his mind as soon as he got off that bus he wasn’t going and he stuck with that but I could see him trying to work through it. He is processing it all. He kept telling me his grandma was too busy so we couldn’t go until next week. I know it is all about his routine and doing this would throw that off. He kept processing it all night and telling me he was going to “ride bus school ride bus home.” I kept thinking about telling him he was going to an appointment and then taking him to his grandma’s house but I don’t want him to get the idea that I’m tricking him when he really does have an appointment. I asked him when he wants to go to her house and he told me next week so we will keep trying but the progress is there. I’m going to talk to his teacher about maybe randomly picking him up from school and trying it that way. The entire night he wanted to make sure we weren’t going. I can only imagine what he is going through if someplace he loves to go is a hard thing for him to process going to on random days. I truly thought we were through the bathroom adventures but here we are again facing them almost every day. I can’t convince him to stay out of the toilet and he runs in there every time I go in the opposite direction. At least there shouldn’t be any more bubble baths in the toilet. That’s the emotional journey for me. Like splashing in the rain it all takes time to process something different and we will both learn, love, and grow. Be the inspiration and watch your world change. Smiles to all and donut daze!
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