It was an interesting weekend. Trying new things for me, and for my family. I love trying new things, whether they are successful or not. I think my daughter is the same, however, my son is not. He is such a wonderful child, yet is often so challenged with his Sensory Integration Dysfunction. This weekend it reared its head as if to say "HEY YOU!! Just 'cause I have not been obvious lately, does not mean I am gone!".
On Saturday I heard screaming from upstairs... terror and pain mixed into a horrid pitch. As I ran upstairs my thought was fall off bed or broken bone. I imagined compound break. When I burst into his room, I found him on the floor holding his mouth screaming. Why? He has a loose tooth. The sensation of that sent unfamiliar sensory information flooding into his brain. Relief hit that it was something simple. A shake of the head that it was just a loose tooth. Hardest was assuring him he would be fine and leaving him to work out the feelings. Over time, I have realized there is NOTHING I can do to alleviate the feelings. He just has to work it out in a safe space. And he did. Then came downstairs and rocked on the couch for a while.
He attended a birthday party in the afternoon. Also something new, a party with a pack of boys. He expressed not having fun, "all they did was play hockey or football". Why is this a problem? Because he cannot keep up. He looks like a normal healthy kid, but he cannot integrate all the senses to function well in sports. He knows he is different. It is called dyspraxia.
In my awareness of all this rising up again after a period of calm... I picked up "Sensational Kids", a great SID resource and looked at coping strategies. We are doing everything right. AND IT IS JUST NOT ENOUGH! I had a realization today, my frustration rises from being a parent. I WANT to make it better, I WANT to make it easier for him. I do all the right things, but I cannot make it go away. And what does every parent want? To make difficulties go away. Sometimes, doing everything right just isnt enough to make it better! Doesn't mean I won't stop trying to find that magic thing!