Helping Them Understand

When Bubba is tired, he sits, he lies down, he relaxes, not so for Bug and Bear.

When Bug is tired, she seeks out more and more stimulation until her brain is so "jazzed" that she is no longer in control of herself. Sometimes, it's a hard thing as a parent to force your child to take time to be quiet. She will scream and wail and throw things as you gently try to put her to bed. The blankets have to be applied in the right order with just the right amount of light and noise. You hear the pitiful cries, all the time knowing that this is what she needs, and you leave quickly before things escalate again. Usually, after twenty minutes or so of forced quiet, she is back to her happy self, almost unrecognizable from the person she was just a few minutes before. She has been this way since she was only a few months old. One of the biggest things we work with in therapy is getting her to recognize when she needs a break before the explosion occurs.

Bear becomes violent when tired. She scratches arms and faces and pulls hair when she needs a break. Bear has very few words, and her frustration usually comes out in a more physically aggressive way. Bear does not like to be laid down, or enjoy routine like Bug; rather she simply needs to be isolated from everyone else for a while. We put her in her room where she will play quietly for several minutes until she's ready to join the world again.

One of the main things I am learning as a special needs momma is how to help my girls recognize their own emotions. Self-control is a much harder lesson, when they cannot understand the effect their actions have on others in those moments of complete melt down.

I know God designed each of my babies in such a unique way. I am so privileged to be their momma and help them each find God's purpose in their lives even if it's just the little bitty things like helping them to understand that we all need rest.