Boog
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Help, do you need it?
Sometimes I see a tv show about a child with extreme behavioral problems. I just saw a commercial for an upcoming show with a nine year old girl and her parents. They played a video of the girl where she was screaming, kicking and uncontrollable. Then a clip from the parents showed that the mother uses excessive force to restrain her and the father is beating her with a belt as punishment. And they really wonder why she can't be controlled?
I have a special needs son. My son is non-verbal. He can't tell me specific things/wants/needs. He has to work ten times or more as hard as other children to do basic things, yet he never *ever* gives up.
If my child has **no** behavioral issues while dealing with so many struggles, what is the explanation these parents can give? Yes, there can be chemical imbalances and issues that do require medication. So isn't it their job to have her checked for that? Isn't it their job to be using behavioral modification techniques instead of violence?
Crappy parents make me so angry sometimes. They have no clue what they have and what they're doing.
Being a decent parent can often mean asking for help when you need it. Hopefully you can swallow that pride and help your child before the age of nine. I've seen children just like this poor girl. I can promise you, the older the child the harder the road will be.
I've seen parents of children with special needs and parents of neurotypical children fail at this one basic principle. Don't Reward Bad Behavior. Write it down if you need to.
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Make this Christmas Yours
I found this poem online randomly and I've never seen anything written about the holidays that hit so close to home.
Make your holidays fun and happy just like any other family will be. Save this poem and email it to family. Post it on Facebook. Heck, print it out and mail it with your Christmas cards.
We go through way more than enough every day. They say Christmas is about the spirit of "giving". Well, making Christmas great for your special needs child is a perfect example of giving to me.
Remember, if anyone doesn't appreciate the beauty of your child and the hard work you've both put in, then you don't have to just sit there and take it. Make Christmas yours! You both deserve it! Screw tradition and trying to make everyone else happy. Maybe your Christmas dinner includes pancakes and bacon, maybe you have one episode of a cartoon playing on repeat, maybe you keep on those soft and tagless pajamas on all day. Who cares if it's non-traditional!
The very first Christmas involved a manger and a donkey. Having a trampoline in the living room seems pretty mild compared to that.
I started doing this years ago and it's taken a huge amount of stress away. I can actually enjoy Christmas! I can see my little man happy. Truly happy. Isn't that the point?
May you all have a wonderful & beautiful Christmas this year, no matter what "rules" you break and tradition you stomp on 😉
-Boog's Mommy
Monday, November 28, 2016
Living on the Couch
I hate being sick. Hate it. I've been on the couch for two days with no energy. Pneumonia is horrible and I wish I could punch it in the face.
Sometimes in conversation someone will compliment me because they say my job as a Mom is so much harder than theirs. I always deflect and tell them that all Mom's have a hard job. Sometimes I speak with a working Mom that wishes she could stay home because life would be easier. I usually tell them about how much I miss working because I have such limited adult interaction.
Truth is, I don't really have any comparison. Boog is my only child and I wasn't around any babies growing up. At times I do think my job is more difficult because I have to push so hard. One thing I'm sure of is that I don't have time to be sick.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Turkey Day!
Friday, October 7, 2016
Interpretation
Friday, September 23, 2016
Quick Tips
Thursday, September 22, 2016
"In the panic created by the Wakefield article, England saw MMR vaccination rates fall to 80 percent in 2004 and Wales to 78 percent. In 2012, England and Wales had the highest number of measles cases in 18 years.
These are dangerous illnesses, and the victims of an outbreak are often infants too small to have yet received vaccinations. Jenny McCarthy styles herself a “mother warrior.” If so, the kids sickened in the fallout from reduced vaccinations are the victims of friendly fire. Nothing good can come from undoing one of the miracles of medical progress."
2. Mary Jane for kids is a miracle!!
https://www.babble.com/mom/medical-marijuana-for-autistic-kids-um-no/ ***Please read this article
"The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is opposed to the use of medical marijuana for children, regardless of diagnosis, and research into its use on either adults or children with autism is nonexistent. Anecdotal evidence abounds, however, with Autism Daily Newscast citing the heartbreaking case of Alex Echols, an 11-year-old boy from Oregon whose story is chronicled in the blog Alex Needs Help."
Sounds great…except if you look at the most recent blog post of Alex Needs Help, his family is no longer finding success with treating their son with marijuana. I’m not judging Alex’s parents at all here. I understand the desperation and the need to go beyond the standard medical offerings when things are just not helping your kid."
3. Essential oils can help kids with autism! Or cure it!
http://deadstate.org/report-gullible-parents-are-poisoning-their-children-with-essential-oils/
"Along with the rise in people using “essential oils” as an alternative remedy for what ails them, incidences of children being exposed to toxins in these oils has risen as well.
A Tennessee poison center reports that between 2011 and 2015, 4 out of 5 harmful exposures to these oils involved children."
Wake up. Take a step back and really think. Could this help, or is someone taking advantage of our guilt/fear/pain for monetary gain?
When you figure that out, you'll stop passing around this crap over and over year after year.
If the above evidence isn't enough for you: Just send your kid to me. I'm not mother of the year, but I at least try not to administer toxic chemicals into my kid.
#WAKEUP
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Pinky and Brain
Pure Unintentional Heartbreak I Give Myself
Sunday, September 18, 2016
FALLing in Love
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Not on the Road Rage
Saturday, September 10, 2016
We're Two for Two with Target!
Bragging again on Target! First they have Caroline's Carts and now a "Kind is Cool" kids line with "Come sit with us" and other clothing with positive messages!
Let's all support this because we know most of all that kind is cool 😎
*This is not a sponsored post, but if Target ever wants to - feel free! 😉
Monday, September 5, 2016
Mathematical Meanings Meant for the Mind(games)
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Adulting! Almost as fun as laundry.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Childhood
Monday, August 29, 2016
It Was Never About the Chocolate
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Namaste Calm and Stress Free. Life's Better that Way.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
They Like Me! They Really Like Me!
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
A Bigger Better Buggy!
I love Target. Probably too much.
Boog and I go sometimes, but I end up worn out before we even shop. I put Boog in the buggy with some sort of pillow behind him so it's more comfortable. Getting Boog into the buggy is getting harder and harder for me. Boog is growing and I don't think I will magically become over 5'2" and lifting him is so hard for me.
After all of that, I don't have much room to put the stuff in that I'm buying. Usually if it won't fit under the buggy it's a no go.
Enter a Game Changer: Caroline's Cart!
Here's a little background from their website:
Drew Ann Long saw the need for Caroline’s Cart after realizing her daughter would outgrow a typical shopping cart. Knowing what was needed, she founded Parent Solution Group, LLC, designed the cart, applied for a patent, and enlisted the services of legal and business professionals to help her bring the cart to market.
No surprise this awesome problem solver was created by parents. Special needs parents are some of the most creative people you'll meet. Forget art school.... We run the school of "How can I do this when it looks impossible and have no clue what to do?". Yep, we rule.
Imagine my happiness when I saw a Caroline's cart at our Target! Boog loved it and it made shopping SO much easier for me. I really appreciate that. It seems like we get so used to being over looked, when something helpful comes along its just purely amazing!
Find out what stores near you have Caroline's carts here: Find a Store
Tell them how awesome they are here: Caroline's Cart Facebook Page
If applicable, tell Target we appreciate them being considerate: Target's Facebook Page
The little things can really be the big things,
Boog's (often shopping) Mommy
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Give Peace a Chance
North Miami Police Officers Shoot Man Aiding Patient With Autism
A man was shot today. An unarmed man that was helping a man with Autism who had run.
I don't know if this was the case, but I know police are nervous.
People who help others with Autism the most are therapists. Rarely do they make the income they deserve. Ask them why they do it, and you will probably hear something along the lines of "I want to help".
Now, as a mother of a son with Autism, I'm going to pray.
God,
Please help this broken world. Please let people see that we must have peace in order to survive. I ask you please, do not let this tragedy make people afraid to help those with special needs. Please. Please.
Amen.
Warsan Shire is an incredibly talented woman. A poem she wrote keeps appearing in my head. I'd like to end this blog post with it.