Little Man

My recent blog was dedicated to a fellow mom in the trenches. She was/is inspiring to me. So is my youngest son. No labels, no extraordinary issues, he is what most parents have, a neurotypical child with typical developmental patterns. He is also (self-described) as kind, generous, and giving. He is. Always has been.
I used to hope and pray for a child who is like my husband. I got it. He is kind, patient, friendly and nice to all. His usual state of mind is happy.
Bounce just happens to look more like my side of the family. Not to say, he didn't get some of my traits. He did...like stubbornness, determination, or crabby when hungry. Plus, run away, when mad, sad, or tired of it all.
However, like my husband and I, he also got persevere in tough times. He sticks around and goes with the flow. He believes in the best and cries over the worst. We all do. WE ALWAYS HOPE AND PRAY. Odd, that wasn't supposed to be all caps and was. Strange. I am leaving it. Because I believe in it. However, I digress.
I asked Bounce the other day if he could handle another child who had anger issues and threw tantrums. He replied, quickly and easily, "Of course, I'm used to it." I knew what he meant. We are used to it, the perpetual unpredictability of Builder combined with the constant thought what's next? Builder is so much better than before; but still has a long way to go. His behavior can be extremely trying. But we know he doesn't mean it. He would be the first to protect us from harm. His daily antics, experiments, and outbursts? We can take it. We know how to deal with it. It is not typical for most families. It is for ours.
Bounce has long been known as "Little Man", I think he is deserving of his title.

Intensity and Frequency

These little words explain the difference between other kids and my kid. When Builder was five, I would go to Mom parties and try to get some other mom to help me understand why my child acted the way he did. Well, they would just laugh at my latest stories of madness and mayhem; then share one of their own little darling's equally as naughty anecdotes. However, the difference was, they were still smiling and laughing. Not me, I was exhausted, frustrated, and sitting in the aisles of the library for hours trying to figure out this enigma I called son. Yeah, son of a gun?! I just didn't get it. How come they could handle all these situations and monkey business? Well...not until completing some parent quizzes and interviews did I realize there is a professional term for this anarchy. Intensity and Frequency. Yes...every single parent on the planet has amusing "my child drives me crazy!" stories. But only the select few of us with children with special needs have the "NO, really my kid IS driving me crazy." We have the singular insanity of dealing with arguments about most everything, coupled with whatever major mess has been made, topped off with at least one to two tantrums a day. Then, don't forget the incredible difficult food menu and sincere disagreement to most clothing options. Intensity and frequency. Remembering those word just might keep you sane.javascript:void(0)