Okay, welcome back! I thought you might like it. Unlike many "Mom Life" sites, scarymommy has a section specifically dealing with special needs families and children. It's got really, really good articles and updates regularly.
Here's one I could really relate to:
12 Things You Should Know About Special Needs Parents
This one actually gave me relief, believe it or not. At almost any given moment I have the same thoughts somewhere nagging at me and they never go away:
"What have I not researched enough? What is out there that I haven't read or seen? Programs, ideas, a new book. There are so many things you don't know and you need to know it all".
"What am I not doing enough at home? Making requests without pointing. Two part requests. Working on identifying parts of the body. Working on riding a bike. Getting him to do more when I get him dressed. Don't forget to use every new skill or it won't improve."
Yeah, it's busy in there. The next time I forget to call you back, your birthday and maybe even your name you know why now. My brain only has so much room and Boog is priority over all.
10. All parents experience fatigue. Many special needs parents live with it every day.
We are not superhuman. We did not suddenly become the Energizer Bunny when our child received a life-altering diagnosis. And because it is often more challenging to find help with our child, we might have fewer opportunities to take care of ourselves.
Thank the Lord. So it's not just me? I am always thinking of the next step or idea. Right now I've made flash cards I keep in the car that have one word only on them, explaining where we're going. If we're not on schedule, Boog looks confused sometimes and for good reason.
Imagine that you're being driven without any details of where, when or why. Is it lunch? Therapy? Going to see someone? Shopping? How long will we be gone?
So I took some plain index cards and wrote one word on each:
Home
School
Food
Nana
Play
Basically where we go 90% of the time. I keep them clipped to my visor. That way when we make a turn that's not where we regularly go, I pull out a card and show him where we're going while speaking the word as well.
The bags under my eyes often explain things quite well. But we get through it.
Now what was your name again?
-Boog's often frazzled, preoccupied Mommy
