Special Needs Parenting Archives - Page 19 of 520

Bittersweet

Today is bittersweet because it's the first Mother's Day since Lizze left. The boys aren't really stressed out about it because to them, it's just a other day on COVID19 lockdown. Truthfully, it's better this way because they don't need anything else to worry about. It's bittersweet for me because I always celebrated Mother's Day. We didn't always have the money but I tried to make sure we always did something special. Today is going to be hard for me but that's okay. Today isn't about me or how I'm feeling. This will mark the first time Lizze hasn't been with her kids on Mother's Day and I know that's hurting her. We have our differences and I don't agree with her decisions but the thought of her being in…

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May 10, 2020

Gavin / My thoughts / Self-injurious Behavior

I need more patience and I don’t know where to find it

Last night was really bad. Gavin had a massive blowout about 12:30 am. What happened matters less than what triggered it. Ever since Gavin was little, he has not been able to tolerate making mistakes. There are times when he makes a mistake and can brush it but majority of the time, mistakes lead to self-injurious meltdowns. Truthfully, I don't really know what to call these episodes. I don't know that they qualify as actual meltdowns and I'd prefer not to mislable them because it sends the wrong message. It might be more accurate to say that Gavin loses his temper. I think that's a fair way to describe what happens. Everyone loses their temper from time to time and that's not a problem in and of itself. The issue…

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May 9, 2020

Gavin / My thoughts

Confessions: Sometimes I am resentful that I’m raising my kids alone

I've had a really stressful night because Gavin had a pretty massive freak out and I once again had to deal with it alone. I'm too tired to get into details but essentially, Gavin made a mistake and flipped the fuck out because he doesn't tolerate making mistakes. He's always been this way. He's very forgiving and understanding when other people make mistakes but he's brutal towards himself. Unfortunately, this happened after midnight and I simply don't have the patience to spend on moments like these. It's incredibly frustrating and if I had more patience, I could have handled it much better. For the most part, I've come to terms with being a single parent. I've come to terms with doing this on my own. There are times where I'm…

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May 9, 2020

COVID19 / Gavin / IVIG Infusion / Lockdown / My thoughts

My #specialneeds #immunocompromised son is terrified by #COVID19 and afraid of dying alone

I just spent a good chunk of time trying to convince Gavin that he does not have COVID19. This is heartbreaking and becoming an ongoing struggle that's proving difficult to navigate. In case you're one of my many new readers, here's a little background on Gavin so you can put this into perspective. Gavin is 20 years old but emotionally and cognitively, he's somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 or 6 years of age. That's the best guess as to where he is developmentally. Gavin also has many health issues that render his health fragile. While they all matter, the biggest concern in regards to COVID19 is that he's significantly immunocompromised. This means his immune system doesn't function properly and in order to stay healthy, he needs to infuse a…

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May 7, 2020

COVID19 / Family Fun / Lockdown / My thoughts

Breaking the monotony of lockdown with some backyard fun

The boys and I have been working on setting up a fire pit in our yard. We're cleaning out the back half, and building an area were we can spend time together and sorta feel like we're escaping all this insanity. Our first planned fire is this Friday. We have to register with the city and wait 48 hours before using it. We have some food to cook over the fire and the kids are really looking forward to seeing all their hard work pay off. It's still bittersweet because there are four seats instead of five but that's okay. We decided this would our guys spot. Maybe we'll add a fifth seat for when the pandemic is over and their friends come to visit again. I'm looking forward to…

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May 7, 2020

COVID19 / Elliott / Emmett John / Lockdown / My thoughts

Focusing on the positive

There's so much going on right now and our lives are on hold in many ways. The stress is getting to all of us and it's quite common for me to hear the kids fighting throughout the day. They are so overwhemled by everything and I just don't know how to help them purge some of that stress and anxiety. Anyway, I wanted to share this because it made me so happy to see. I was working and when I realized how quiet the house was, I went to check. I wanted to make sure everything and everyone was okay. It's not a common occurance for the house to be quiet during the day. When I walked into the living room, this is what I found. Elliott and Emmett were…

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May 6, 2020

Link / Sponsored Post

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May 5, 2020

COVID19 / Inspirational Posts / Lockdown / My thoughts

The biggest challenges I face with my #autistic kids on #COVID19 lockdown

I've been talking to some fantastic experts on my podcast recently. My goal is to help parents better help their kids navigate the COVID19 lockdown. The feedback thus far has been very positive and I have more interviews coming. One of the most common things that everyone is saying is essential, especially in regards to autistic kids, is routine. Routine is paramount to helping our kids feel safe, secure, and in control during these scary, uncertain times. Generally, autistic kids require a very rigid structure and a strict routine in their daily lives. I'm not going into the whys at this point, so please just accept that as fact, because it is pretty common knowledge.  COVID19 and our response to it has thrown our lives into chaos. Schools are…

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May 4, 2020