Ahhh, the smell of pine trees, the gentle lights from the Chrismas tree, and the sound of meltdowns. Yep, it is the "Holiday Season" (this should be read in that booming voice used for car commercials and wrestling announcements.). It kicked off with Christmas Part 1- aka Thanksgiving.
We went to our grandparents with hope of more success this year. Unfortuantely, large gatherings- which means more than 5 to 10 people- is still overwhelming for Little Bug. In those times when Lennon is crying and needs to be by himself while the rest of the family is having Thanksgiving, it is hard to be hopeful and remember our blessings.
Little Bug acted out a bit, had a couple of meltdowns, and needed to spend a good amount of time upstairs with Nick or I. As he puts it, "I'm fweaking out because of people. It feels bad in my head and tummy." We have found that although we can bring distractions and remember our tools, Little Bug still needs to be distanced from the events. Although he wants to be alone, he doesn't mean alone. What he means is that he wants you in the room, but not to talk to him. He needs the comfort of you being there without any more sensory input.
We are thankful. We are thankful that he now can identify when he is having a hard time. We are thankful that he can tell us what is challenging for him. We are thankful that we can look at this and help him.
Lastly, we are thankful that we can make different decisions for the next year; that our family will understand and support us.
1 comment:
Welcome back. I stumbled upon your blog and can't begin to tell you how impressed I am with your story. The love your family has is amazing.
I'm not the father of a special needs child, but involved with one who is now 9. So, I can appreciate some of your difficulties but not all. I've only been in his life for just under a year. It's amazing.
Continued happiness and joy for you and your family.
JT
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