By: scottcomedy

scottcomedy — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 05:01:00 +0000

Thanks so much for sharing this. It is a warzone sometimes for a married couple when they spend so much of their day trying to prevent their kid on the spectrum from having a meltdown. You are the only people you can let off steam on, which is needed, but not always healthiest for a marriage.

By: Deborah Gadzikowski

Deborah Gadzikowski — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 04:51:00 +0000

It is hard. And the kids close to special needs kids learn all kinds of things. I was at the Zoo today with my two kids and our good friends. or the mom and two kids of our good friends (it was a give the daddies a break day). Pioneer is 9 days older than Mikaela, but on one of the small to midsized kid rides he was turned away as too tall. (he is over 2 inches taller than Mike). so he was in a bad way. i took my two and Cheryl’s youngest and went off to the snack bar. After Pioneer calmed down they came and joined us. Pioneer i should mention is a bit on the skinny end of the bell curve, I mean WAY off on the smart end. So as he drank his Icee and ate his pretzel he was coming up with many creative outlets for his hurt and angry feelings. Cheryl launched into the “if you can’t say anything nice…” lesson. and all was going well until she pointed out how Mikaela was a master at the not saying anything at all (mike can be a girl of VERY few words). At this point 6 year old Siimon pipes up. “Until you touch her things. THEN you’ll find out what’s what!” I laughed so hard but I was sad too that this sweet little boy who already has it rough cause he’s got such a precocious older brother has also had to develop a crazy set of additional rules he trots out every time he’s around my kids, (minimum one night a week)
Then we come home. Man has been in man cave all afternoon, I assume (key word there) he’s good to come out and socialize. He emerges on the third call for dinner, sits to table then Autism son number one comes from the shower and needs his feet eaten by his father (routines, ya know!) But daddy wont leave the table to dine on toe because he’s in the middle of eating dinner. Where in it comes to light that Mark had eaten all the popcorn shrimp and Gabe couldn’t eat dinner until his shower was done. (Guess what Gabe wanted for dinner?) (and the order of a sunday evening the shower first eat second is Gabe’s rules) So daddy chastisement # 1 as i go put more shrimp in the toaster oven. Then I find he’s put ketchup in the basket of course numero dos, the dino buddies. Daddy chastisement # 2 and only because I’m worried that when Gabe finds it he’ll freak. (which he did not.) Sigh. I go into the living room and pass the time putting the self-inflating camp pad in it’s stuff sack because the weekend “camp-outs- in -the-livingroom” are over (routine!) And husband says “I never have to do that.” To which I say.”You may anytime you want.” and he looks at me like I’m looney. “You want me to put it away on Saturday so you can get it out again saturday night for the girl campout?” and I say “No, but you may put it away any given Sunday.” and he gets an even more perplexed look on his face and says, “In what universe should I put away things that someone else is using?” And I think I must have mis-heard him. But I didn’t check that out because I’ve still just gotten back from taking two autistic kids to the zoo (90 minutes ago). I’m super-mom! I cannot BE wrong! So I say, “In the WE’RE a FAMILY universe. Where everyone pitches in to help everyone else out.” BOOM! Three strikes. I’m out! and he goes back into the man cave.
I guess what I’ve taken too long to say is… It’s okay, Scott. Autism parenting makes us all crazy.

Comments on: Nothing is “Normal” at Our House

By: scottcomedy

By: Deborah Gadzikowski