One, two, three, breathe. And one, two, three, breathe. Owen is full of emotions today. He screamed for the better part of an hour. He asked to paint. I told him we could as soon as we finished lunch. No sooner had the words escaped my mouth when the screams happened. At the top of his lungs he went back, and forth between the words “be nice”, and “banana”. It was almost like he couldn’t distinguish which words to use. He started off “be ni”, quickly changing it to “be nana”; really emphasizing the “B”. Once those words were in his mind, he couldn’t let go off them; until he realized we hadn’t finished talking about painting, and what he really wanted to do, which was “take a baff”. A couple of times we’ve painted later in the day, before bedtime, so he has taken a bath then. Now I think he associates painting, and bath together. He slept all night in his bed, woke up happy, has had only a few behavioral issues, but in general, it’s been a great day; except the constant screaming. I have a thousand things to do, but sitting tends to be the easiest. If I try to do something it upsets Owen, to the point of more screaming. Autism is much about how I handle it, as it is about Owen having it. I try not to think about the coulda, woulda, shoulda beens, and concentrate on the moment; sometimes that’s easier said than done. He’s moved on from the screaming, and the bath for the moment; only because I set a timer for when he could take a bath. The timer is now used for everything. As winter is turning into spring; Owen earlier wanted his jacket on, not because he was cold, but because it is supposed to be on, it will take a while for him to adjust to not needing to wear one. He said, “when the timer goes off you can wear a jacket”. He’s learning to express his needs, and wants, telling me in the way he can; especially about wanting to take a bath. Find happiness in the world around, share your smile, and make today matter. Smiles to all and donut daze!
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