The boys got off to school with relative ease. It's important to understand the *relative ease *part means that *all things considered,* it could have been worse. Frankly, any morning we can walk away from in one piece is victory.
I wanted to take a minute and help provide some insight into the above paragraph because it can help you better understand some of the challenges facing Autism families like mine.
I was expecting a bit of resistance this morning because we had a rough night. Lizze and I took the kids clothes shopping at Kohl's after dinner last night.
Gavin desperately needed pants and we had been trying to hold off as long as we could because we're working very hard to help him gain weight. Money is tight and we didn't want his new pants to end up being tight as well because he finally put some weight on.
We got him a new pair of jeans but they are a little stretchy in the waist, so there's a little room for him to grow. Maybe next pay we'll grab him another pair.
Gavin did pretty well. He was obviously confused/overwhelemd a bit because we kept having to repeat things to him and on multiple occasions he walked into clothing racks, knocking things on the floor. He was also, very cooperative and we totally appreciated that.
Elliott needed school pants. Yes, I'm well aware that we just bought him a couple pairs of pants in the last month or so. Unfortunately, they shrank after the first wash and were a bit to tight. We got him two new pairs of pants last night and bumped him up a size, just in case these shrink as well.
Mr. Emmett didn't really need anything but we let him pick out a new pair of pj's because they had some really nice Minecraft ones on clearance for under $10.
Elliott and Emmett were a bit more difficult to manage. They're super impulsive and very easily frustrated. That was on full display last night. At the same time, despite these challenges, they really did their best to cooperate with us and we recognized that.
Taking three kids with Autism and/or Special Needs to a crowded clothing store is a challenge on a good day. These guys are still emotionally overstimulated from the loss of their Great Grandmother last week. These guys very much live symbiotically with Lizze and I.
Lizze is devastated by the loss of her grandmother and while she does her best to not overwhelm the kids with her grief, they absorb it like a sponge.
We had several major meltdowns last night before bed. It was definitely a rough night for everyone.
All that said, the kids got off to school with *relative ease*. The problems we encountered would probably not be viewed in such a positive light in a more typical parenting setting. Parents of more typical kids wouldn't be used to these kinds of challenges.
That said, we aren't typical parents. The challenges we faced this morning were not unexpected, considering what the last 5 or 6 days have been like.
I feel like it could have definitely been worse and we got off pretty lucky. The bottomline is that the kids made it to school and hopped out of the car with a smile on their face.
That sounds like a win to me.
