It was a really long night and I ended up falling asleep this morning, before finishing this post. That being said, I’m alive and alert once again, so here it goes. lol
This morning was a rough one. Elliott and Emmett were all over the place and I had a really hard time keeping them on task. It came down to them being excessively impulsive, with little or no impulse control.
I was already so tired and they had me absolutely frustrated.
As parents, part of the reason we are blessed with kids (special needs or typical) is so we can learn to better appreciate what our parents went through with us. It’s like a right of passage and kids are supposed to drive their parents crazy. Simply because that child has Autism, doesn’t somehow exempt them from this time honored tradition.
This experience reminded me of a message I used to share when I was writing as Lost and Tired…. That message still holds true and I wanted to reiterate it here, in hopes that it can still have a positive impact on the lives of my readers.
There’s some kind of unwritten law that says if you have a child with special needs, you can never run out of patience or admit they drive you crazy. That unwritten law is totally bullshit and I’m gonna tell you why.
We have to remember that kids with special needs, are first and foremost kids. Sure, they have unique challenges and may require special care throughout their lives but they’re still kids.
As parents, part of the reason we are blessed with kids (special needs or typical) is so we can learn to better appreciate what our parents went through with us. It’s like a right of passage and kids are supposed to drive their parents crazy. Simply because that child has Autism, doesn’t somehow exempt them from this time honored tradition.
At the same time, simply because a child has Autism, doesn’t somehow exempt the parent from being able to say that their kids are driving them crazy.
Saying that your child with Autism is driving you crazy, is probably one of the most normal things in the world. It should not be taken as an insult towards that child and it certainly doesn’t reflect poorly on them either. After all, they are still kids…right?
As special needs parents, we have to remember that at our very core, we are very human and it’s absolutely normal to feel things like frustration, being overwhelmed and it’s absolutely okay to both experience and talk about your child(ren) driving you crazy…
Just like our kids are meant to test us and drive us crazy, as parents, we are meant to be driven crazy by our kids. We drove our parents crazy and now it’s our turn to experience that same thing. Again, it’s like a right passage for our parents.
There’s nothing to feel guilty about and we all know that just because you admit that your child with Autism can drive you crazy, doesn’t mean you don’t love them more than life itself..
Don’t let the people who are uncomfortable or not ready to be honest about their feelings, make you feel guilty for embracing yours. We all cope with life differently and that’s okay…
Stand tall and when you feel the need, let the world know your kids (Autism or not) are driving you crazy.. ☺
