Nothing makes me cringe more than when someone tells me
"Sometimes I forget you have 3 kids." I am always left thinking
"How could you possibly forget? I have a baby attached to me constantly." On top of that it hurts my heart that anyone could forget our sweet little Baby. It is so important for our families to learn how to Master this:
Not forgetting that you have other children and making sure that others do not forget them as well.
It "can be" <--- if you let it, easy to get caught up with Autism and aaalll of the many therapists in and out of your home every week.
When we found out that our 2 toddlers had Autism I was 6 months pregnant with our 3rd kiddo. AT FIRST, I was mortified that I was pregnant.
NOT because I didn't want our little sweetheart but because
I felt so guilty about bringing him into the whole "Autistic Siblings" situation. In all of my lack of knowledge on the subject, I was convinced that my son would grow up resenting me. So shortly after getting the news of Autism, my husband and I sat down and from that point set STRICT guidelines. Guidelines that we hold extended family members to as well.
How Our Family Balances Autism, Marriage Relationship and Our Non Spectrum Kids
1) Each one of our kids gets alone time with us (Daddy and Mom)
EVERY DAY, not once a week but EVERY DAY. There are times in the day that my son will come up to me while I am holding our baby and ask me for something and I look at him and tell him KINDLY
"Not right now Buddy. Mommy is holding [Baby]. Right now it's [Baby's] time with Mommy." My kids are COMPLETELY ok with this BECAUSE
they know that later they are going to get my undivided attention as well so there's no jealousy. Sometimes I will pick a kid to go on an errand with me alone or I will take one with me for ice cream. They know that they will always get time with both of us alone.
2) Our kids have had nap time and bed time (it's never too late for you to start this) since they were 4-6 months old. So at that time my husband and I take our baby and go sit on the deck with him or we play on the living room floor. My husband and I get to talk and spend time with each other as well. We then put our baby down and that time is my husband and I's time together to snuggle, watch a movie, talk or play a game.
3) Do not let others forget you have other kids. Wherever I go I am wearing our son in his Moby Wrap so people see him. Right now we talk about Autism because we are meeting so many new people since we just moved here but
normally in our home or when we are with friends we do not talk about Autism. We don't want our other children growing up thinking their childhood was all about the siblings with Autism.
If all you talk about is Autism and the kids that you have on the Spectrum then of course people are going to forget you have other kids. That's why I have a designated place for talking about Autism, my blog.
4) When I introduce our family to NEW people I say
"I have THREE kids and my 2 oldest are on the Autism Spectrum."
5) I do not (or I guess I should say "will not" since my little guy is still just a baby) let others tell my Non Autistic children things like
"You behave for your mom, ok? Because she has a lot to deal with your siblings."
6) Last but also important,
I wont be asking my other children for help. It's not their job to help me with their siblings or act like mini adults.
It's their job to be a kid and enjoy their childhood.
The reason people forget our baby is because he is AMAZING =) He is so mellow, ALWAYS happy and easy going. I walk into the room and his face lights up with a HUGE smile. His smiles that are often meant for me are honestly what gets me through some of my toughest days.
We love you so much Little Man!...
I have been away from blogging for a bit trying to collect my composure again after finally having my toddlers officially diagnosed here in Missouri. What I didn't expect in all of this was my son being diagnosed with moderate Autism versus a high functioning Autism and that in addition to a Severe Autism Diagnosis that my daughter would be diagnosed with mild Mental Retardation. It gives a whole new meaning to the word "retard" that we hear so commonly and casually thrown around amongst the ignorant with limited vocabulary skills. It puts a face on the word. It puts my daughters face on it. My sweet little 2 year old baby girl's face.
For some reason I have always had difficulty looking at my daughter without being reminded of Wesley. It breaks my heart to think of the ridicule and the bullying that awaits her in her future. My daughter starts school this year. So I went and bought her American Eagle clothes, the best shoes and the cutest hair flowers. Expensive Brand name clothes that we can barely afford amidst their therapies. Clothes that she will inevitably grow out of in 6 months all in the hopes that it could make the tiniest difference in her getting picked on by other kids.
I wish I could go back. Don't we all? Don't we all wish that we could go back and change something in our lives? This poor boy that didn't stand a chance amongst our cruel words, our lack of compassion and maturity. I wish I could go back and do things differently. I wish I could go back and apologize, to give him a hug and become his friend. Even after that, it still wouldn't be enough. Not enough to make up for never having said anything. Not enough for laughing. It will be the guilt that I will be reminded of each and every time my daughter gets picked on for being different.
She has me to be her best friend, to be her advocate, to be her mother and to protect her the best that I can. After that, all I can do is pray that Heavenly Father will be there with her to watch over her the rest of the way.
Nothing makes me cringe more than when someone tells me "Sometimes I forget you have 3 kids." I am always left thinking "How could you possibly forget? I have a baby attached to me constantly." On top of that it hurts my heart that anyone could forget our sweet little Baby. It is so important for our families to learn how to Master this: Not forgetting that you have other children and making sure that others do not forget them as well.
It "can be" <--- if you let it, easy to get caught up with Autism and aaalll of the many therapists in and out of your home every week. When we found out that our 2 toddlers had Autism I was 6 months pregnant with our 3rd kiddo. AT FIRST, I was mortified that I was pregnant. NOT because I didn't want our little sweetheart but because I felt so guilty about bringing him into the whole "Autistic Siblings" situation. In all of my lack of knowledge on the subject, I was convinced that my son would grow up resenting me. So shortly after getting the news of Autism, my husband and I sat down and from that point set STRICT guidelines. Guidelines that we hold extended family members to as well. 
1) Each one of our kids gets alone time with us (Daddy and Mom) EVERY DAY, not once a week but EVERY DAY. There are times in the day that my son will come up to me while I am holding our baby and ask me for something and I look at him and tell him KINDLY "Not right now Buddy. Mommy is holding [Baby]. Right now it's [Baby's] time with Mommy." My kids are COMPLETELY ok with this BECAUSE they know that later they are going to get my undivided attention as well so there's no jealousy. Sometimes I will pick a kid to go on an errand with me alone or I will take one with me for ice cream. They know that they will always get time with both of us alone.
2) Our kids have had nap time and bed time (it's never too late for you to start this) since they were 4-6 months old. So at that time my husband and I take our baby and go sit on the deck with him or we play on the living room floor. My husband and I get to talk and spend time with each other as well. We then put our baby down and that time is my husband and I's time together to snuggle, watch a movie, talk or play a game.
3) Do not let others forget you have other kids. Wherever I go I am wearing our son in his Moby Wrap so people see him. Right now we talk about Autism because we are meeting so many new people since we just moved here but normally in our home or when we are with friends we do not talk about Autism. We don't want our other children growing up thinking their childhood was all about the siblings with Autism. If all you talk about is Autism and the kids that you have on the Spectrum then of course people are going to forget you have other kids. That's why I have a designated place for talking about Autism, my blog.
The reason people forget our baby is because he is AMAZING =) He is so mellow, ALWAYS happy and easy going. I walk into the room and his face lights up with a HUGE smile. His smiles that are often meant for me are honestly what gets me through some of my toughest days.
