3 weeks ago
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
What I did on summer break: Special needs parents edition
What you do during summer "break" when you're a special needs parent:
• Get child dressed
• Attempt to get child to eat something other than Chocolate Rice Krispies for breakfast
• Give up and give him the Chocolate Rice Krispies; encourage self-feeding
• Remind child not to repeatedly kick table legs
• Give up and let him kick table legs
• Wonder how you are going to spend the entire day and vow not to let him watch too much TV
• Repeat child's favorite catchphrase and/or answer same question from child eleventy billion times in a row, then do it again an hour later
• Settle child in front of TV so you can have a little time to yourself
• Spend said time to yourself chatting with insurance company rep about errant bills and payments
• Drag child away from TV and take a walk
• Make a couple of therapy/doctor appointments on cell phone as you stroll
• Call the pharmacy, while you're at it, to reorder child's meds
• Repeat child's favorite catchphrase and/or answer same question from child eleventy billion times in a row, then do it again an hour later
• Serve child lunch; encourage self-feeding
• Remind child not to repeatedly kick table legs
• Give up and let him kick the table legs
• Take a quick, much-needed break and spend it by tracking down copies you made of insurance claims sent because you knew something would get lost
• Play with toys or games for five minutes and/or until child's attention wanes
• Consider doing some of the therapeutic exercises the therapists have recommended and decide they can wait until tomorrow
• Google "Summer activity ideas for kids with special needs"
• Decide most of the activities require too much effort, place child in old-t-shirt, head outside, put on sprinkler, done
• Sit on lawn chair and wonder what sort of more stimulating activities other special needs parents are doing with their kids
• Stare down at toes and try to remember when the last time was that you got a pedicure
• Head out in car to get ice-cream and pray there's no long line that could lead to a meltdown
• Aimlessly drive around your neighborhood
• Repeat child's favorite catchphrase and/or answer same question from child eleventy billion times in a row, then do it again an hour later
• Stop by the library and slightly despair that your kid ends up parked in front of the computer for an hour instead of exploring books
• Check out books to read at bedtime/make yourself feel better about the computer time
• Serve child dinner; encourage self-feeding
• Remind child not to repeatedly kick table legs
• Give up and let him kick the table legs
• Let child watch more TV. Wonder how much TV the other special needs parents let their kids watch.
• Give child bath, get dressed for bed.
• Read one of the books from the library and feel slightly better about having done something educational, no matter if the book was "The Story of Farts"
• Kiss child goodnight. Sit down at kitchen table and stare vacantly into space.
• Treat yourself to a piece of chocolate and an iced tea, because you are extravagant that way
• Feel a little guilty about how psyched you are that his Extended School Year program starts again in a couple of weeks...but not that guilty.
Image source: Flickr/obvio171
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Maintaining Your Sanity
ReplyDelete1. Restock your Pan di Stelle reserves as needed.
2. Indulge in a Greek yogurt pop to be "healthy" and feel better about yourself.
3. Go out for a pedicure when you can.
Amen. You get it.
ReplyDeletePerfect! Include in there occasionally prying him away from computer and/or letting him have too much computer time, and you've just described us to a "T". Though my guilty go to for him is puzzles rather than books, so he's (hopefully) less bored than if he's in front of a screen all day, and I can feel virtuous for having encouraged something educational, fun and OT based.
ReplyDeleteBut, yes, I agree with Mar - you definitely get it!
-Alyssa
Nodding my head in agreement with your schedule, with a few tweaks to match my grandson's particular special needs. This made me smile!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Perfectly normal! And listening to endless commentary and questions about whatever current movie he's watching, and feeling guilty that he watches so many movies. But at least he's reading....the credits.
ReplyDeleteI love that you said Considered doing the therapy. Made me smile. I did the same:) We all need a day off or two!
ReplyDelete