lost and tired Archives - Page 168 of 171

Gavin got a big surprise today :)

For those following my family's story, you already know just how far Gavin's come over the last year. He's made an unbelievable transformation and I quite literally couldn't be any prouder of him. He faces mental health and physical health issue that are exceedingly rare and never once complains. Gavin's gone from a destructive force to one who's efforts help to keep this family running on a daily basis. Anyway, Gavin's been saving up for this Transformers toy. He's patiently saving his money and the other day, I ordered it for him as a surprise from both myself and his younger brothers. This thing was under $10 so it was a huge deal. That being said, I knew it would mean the world to him. It arrived today and…

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August 6, 2015

Confessions

#Autism Parenting Confessions: The truth is that sometimes I do think about quitting

Like anyone else, I find myself frustrated at times with my life. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and I'm grateful for every breath I get the honor of taking with them in my life. I have an amazing family, both on and offline as well. While much of my life is a struggle right now, I'm always aware that it could be worse and I'm grateful for each day I live to fight another fight. I would never intentionally let my kids down either. All things being the same though, I do find myself frustrated at times because it feels like I have a great deal on my plate and I just can't catch a break. My kids can't seem to catch a break either. Their lives…

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August 6, 2015

Divorce / My thoughts

Potentially, the boys have an emotional night at therapy ahead of them

Update: This is posting late because it's been a very difficult day and I didn't get around to posting it after dinner. We've been trying to put a therapy session together for them with their Mom but it just hasn't come together yet. The reason for this type of session is because the therapist and I want to facilitate a discussion between the boys and their Mom. Since she left last year, she only sees them for about 48 hours a month, give or take. The reason are complicated but not something I have any control over. The visitations haven't been going so well for everyone, in particular Elliott and more recently Emmett. Emmett's getting tummy aches and Elliott simply doesn't want to have contact with his Mom…

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August 5, 2015

Emmett John / My thoughts

I’ve spent a large part of today trying to help my raging 7 year old with #Autism O_o

Emmett's in a mood today. By mood I mean a very volatile, disagreeable and angry place. He's been raging on and off all day. 😖 You know, I've tried to find his triggers and I have no idea what's setting him off. He's not dealing with stressful situations well and if even the slightest thing goes wrong, he freaks out. Typically, he has a much higher threshold for these types of things but as of late, not so much. Emmett is usually very reasonable and able to cope pretty well. Lately, I've been seeing a shift in his behavior and its concerning me. I've personally been screamed at half a dozen times today and frankly, I'm not enjoying being on the receiving end of his unusual rages. The only way…

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August 5, 2015

My thoughts / Parenting Advice

I’m a 36 year old single Dad and I put myself in timeout

The boys have spent most of the morning bickering amongst themselves. They were fighting over the most ridiculous things and I told them that if they didn't stop, I was going to put myself in timeout, leaving them no one to complain to. They weren't quite sure what to do with that but it stopped the fighting. 😉 While we're on the subject of timeouts, I thought I would share a tiny bit of unsolicited advice. I know how frustrating and overwhelming being a parent can be. When you add special needs into the mix, that can raise the challenge significantly. Unless you have some super secret origins story, you're very likely only human and as such, prone to limitations, just like me. When you find yourself reaching those…

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August 5, 2015

My thoughts

This problem will add a new level of complexity to an already challenging situation

I mentioned before that there were going to be some challenges coming my way in the near future. Well, one of those challenges showed up this morning. I debated about whether or not I should share this because some people will take this the wrong way. In the end however, I decided that I have no control over what other people think and if my goal is to help people, honesty is the best policy.. The reason I share these more personal things, in such an honest and transparent way, is because it's the only means with which to provide a true window into my life as a single parent of three kids with Autism. It also helps people in a similar situation to know that they aren't alone in…

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August 5, 2015

My thoughts

Shhh…. I’m hiding from my kids

I very much love and adore my kids but my goodness have they taken a lot out of me today. I'm exhausted both mentally and physically because it's been nonstop for most of the day. The boys have had dinner and are currently watching cartoons. I've carpe diem'd the shit out of this opportunity to sneak away and find some relative peace and quiet. While it's really nice just sitting in my room writing, I already hear them getting into it with each other and so this will be short lived. Short lived or not, I need these little pauses in my day to help me make it through to the next with as much of my sanity intact was possible. 😜

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August 4, 2015

My Opinion

Did this Deputy go too far by handcuffing this 3rd grader with ADHD?

I came across this on BuzzFeed today and I'd like to know what you would do, had this been your child? I don't know the whole story but the officer makes reference to this little kid with ADHD and behavioral issues related to a trauma, taking a swing at him. If that's the case, that's clearly unacceptable behavior and I would hope we could all agree on that. That being said, just watching this video disturbs me on many levels. This kid is in 3rd grade (8 years old) and has ADHD (which doesn't excuse behavioral issues but it explains them and should absolutely impact our approach to dealing with them). He was handcuffed behind his back at his biceps, which would likely be painful and was left in this position…

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August 4, 2015