I have to admit that things went better today than I would have imagined, given all of our fears. In fact, I’d actually take the risk of shooting myself in the foot, in a karmic sense, and say that I think they went great. Continue reading
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Single-Dadding It, Day 1
I would hardly call this an “experiment” but, for the next three days, I’m the only parent in this house.
My wife and her sister are off to Vegas for a few days to go enjoy the perks they’ve earned through a silly Facebook game they play, which leaves me alone with both boys to keep things going here. Over the next three days, I get to juggle my job and childcare and hopefully, all three of us will still be here when she gets back on Thursday. Continue reading
A Tale of Two Sickies
Just as I’m getting ready to be alone with the kids for a few days, R has gotten sick.
It’s nothing too major – it is just a cold – but as with all nearly-two-year-olds, it’s just messy and wet and full of a shrieking, whining child who can’t easily be placated or made to feel better. Continue reading
Full Moon Madness
I have never been a big believer in the moon affecting my child’s behavior.
I do know plenty of Autism parents who swear that they tell what the phase of the moon is by their child’s moods. I see plenty of posts on Facebook and my Twitter feed that talk about how their child is bouncing off the walls as the moon waxes full… Continue reading
Requirement Changes
I’m a software developer by training, as I keep mentioning. Part of my job as a manager in a software firm is managing the changes to requirements as they come in, ensuring that they cause as little disruption to the ongoing projects as possible.
We’re about to get thrown a requirement change. Continue reading
Applying the Squeeze
The Monster likes pressure. I know this is not uncommon for children with Autism – there’s the Wilbarger Brushing Technique (see Yes, I Brush My Child) that we’ve employed, off and on, to sate his need for the tactile stimulation and to help control some of his more sensory-seeking behaviors.
Recently, though, he’s also been applying his own squeezes to other people. When it comes to me, he’s actually applying his nails as well, which has ended up with my having interesting cuts along my forearms. To date, this level of problem has been only my problem, though he’s also been taking recently to squeezing his mother and little brother as well to a lesser extent. Continue reading
…And Not So Much
I think my crowing about the Monster’s being willing and able to share at times has bitten me in the backside.
When the Monster got home from school today, we had about a half hour before he had to dash off to his therapy session. Because he hadn’t finished the snacks in his lunch, the wife gave him the bag of pretzels. Continue reading
Sharing
Most five year olds have a little trouble sharing things with other children.
The Monster, like most children with Autism, is not particularly good about turn-taking. It was a big struggle, when he was two and three, to teach him to signal (mostly sign-language, but building up to the verbal cue accompanying the sign) “my turn” when it came to things he wanted to play with. Continue reading
Teaching If-Then
So in the midst of everything else we’re trying to teach the Monster for his life-goals, we’re also working on the ever-popular if-then relationship.
Such as, “If you eat your dinner, then you can have a cookie.” Continue reading
Warnings
My wife tells me sometimes about friends of hers who post to Facebook about how they have “surprised” their children with a trip to Disney World, the morning they are going. Most of this is a lament about how we really can’t do that to to the Monster… both because of how it would backfire in terms of his schedule, and because of his not really being in a place where the surprise would mean anything to him.
No. I’m more fixed on lots of advanced warning, so he knows what’s going on. Continue reading