What we did in June when we werent in New York

While me and a couple of my colleagues were returning back to the hotel tonight after a long day of work , I was thinking of an email I got from an old friend about why I had not written in my blog for so many days
I replied to him that I have been too busy being "inlife" to be "online"

While that is true, I miss blogging terribly.

My posts provide me the great opportunity to go back and look back at how things were last year or the year before that

A greek philosopher said that those that journal get to expereince happiness twice - and this is true of this 21st century blogger typing on her Ipad, as it was true of that old greek dude scrolling on his papyrus

Once you start to blog - you realise that all the years you did not blog are gone
Sometimes I look at old college pictures ( thanks to facebook ) and I wonder -

who was I then?

What did I feel about things?

Was I happy? Did I know I was happy ?

Al those pre-blog years that I cannot relive -

For now those years are just re-interpreted through the eyes of a 36 year old woman, not seen through the eyes of a 18 year old

And this is why though its midnight and I am in a hotel room at the end of a day that began at 5 am, I am looking at my photos and facebook updates to gather up this month , before its lost

My phases as mother

I do not know if this is true for you - but I am not the same person all the time
I usually have three phases as an autie mum - this third phase I discovered in June

Incarnation one: The Active mum :

 I floortime with dedication everyday.I read a lot about autism . I look for new methods. (In my recent phase of this I actively researched The Son Rise Program.)

Incarnation two: The Guilty Mom :

I am burdened by a feeling of not doing enough. Either my workload is high, or I am traveling a lot or we have guests at home. I feel incredibly guilty and keep thinking about time and the scarcity of it in my life. (Sometimes I do not even have any distractions to blame)

Incarnation three : The Passive mum :
This phase is one that I saw recently this month . I do not think about therapy or autism. R is just my child and not my child with autism .

Though this phase has passed – I really enjoyed it.

I did not clock watch – felt happy lounging on the couch watching TV with Dh after work.

I did dinnertime, bed time and bathtime, cuddle time with R – without a THOUGHT to “building neural connection”. Or analyzing R in terms of Floortime levels or anything like that. ( I think this is how many Autie mums think )

In a TV show I was watching recently , an actress goes to live with the Amish.

She asks Amish woman with exasperation “don’t you ever get tired of never being able to want anything?”
The Amish woman replies “don’t you ever get tired of always wanting something?”

In June I had times when I felt like the Amish woman with regard to parenting .I did not want anything.

It was nice.

Is this the kind of mother I would be all the time  if R did not have autism ?

While I enjoyed Incarnation three very much( which would seem intuitive as it involves very little work) , I actually enjoy Incarnation one very much as well !

Even though being an active autism mum involves lots of hard work and thinking.

 I think its because I actually enjoy Floortime very much. I can literally see R blossoming when we “play with purpose” and as he expresses new ideas and thoughts it gives me an incredible window into his world.

Plus it makes me feel connected to him.

Not just in a heart connection – as mother and son.( thank goodness I always have this )

But in a mind connection – as mind to mind

It was interesting to discover Passive mum in me and even more interesting to discover that active mum is just as much  fun

Often in Autism-land, mothers wonder how we can have a chance at happiness – as we have to work so very hard.

The implication being that the presence of so much work will leave no room for happiness.

But I wonder sometimes if this hypothesis is true and if a life full of hard work can also be full of happiness

Picnic

DH and I decided this month that we would do more things outside the house.

So we decide to go on a picnic on the bank of a little stream we have by our cabin

To our great surprise – R is elated to go. "We are going on a picnic.. we are going to have a great time” he tells us

This unusual loquacity is explained later as R is reading a book with Miss Gypsi on picnic

I make a list of all the things to pack in a picnic basket and R helps me pack our basket .

We cross everything off the list and off we go

In accordance to the script we have a great time

We walk in the stream, look at frogs and butterflies

There is a storage unit nearby . Each unit is identified by a number which thrills R no end

Canoe trip

The Open Doors organization sets up a canoe trip which is also a lot of fun .

DH and I decide that we really need to get a little boat ( one in which R can stand as he is very eager to do this on our canoe and keeps pleading that he wants to go to Papa so that he can walk around the canoe )

We go swimming every weekend ( barring the one that we are in New York ) even though the water in the pool is chilly.

We have decided to do something outdoorsy everyday this summer

They say that one of the best treatements for ADHD is being outside

They say one important condition for neuroplasticity is aerobic exercise and we are taking full advantage oof the summer

Enjoying process without results

R HATES to color - DH and Miss Gypsi wisely deduce that its because he cannot color well

So DH get him a lot of paints and just leave them hanging about for many days - he loves looking at all the bottles

Then one day he asks me himself to open a bottle

And last night I ask him if he wants to come with me for a walk or play on his computer and eat trail mix ( this latter is his favorite thing ). But to my joy he says

"But I want to paint"

He is producing no Picassos - I can tell you

However he is enjoying painting which is the whole point


Asking for something 

R almost never asks to buy something - but this one time we are at Marshalls - and he INSISTS on getting red shoes and he really preens in them saying " my new red shoes"

How adorable is that

Scripts as the scaffolding of language


R is using a lot of scripts these days. Some professionals believe that scripts should be discouraged

But we actively encourage scripts. ( thanks to some great advice from Dr Nancy Kauffman)

 Scripts are the scaffolding of language. Especially for children like R who have many thoughts and not many ways to express them

Plus his scripts are very very appropriate

The other day when I am scolding him for going on the road he sobs through his tears "Dont worry Blue "( as he is clearly worried )

He uses his ABA apps ( kindergarten.com)  on the Iphone a lot as well . He is forever making little observations about the world around.

If he has a cut on a hand - he will show it to me and inform me piously of my duties "you put a band aid on a hurt"

Joint attention is just an amazingly blossoming skill

Sometimes his observations are very very apt.

But sometimes they are very funny – The other day while I am making tea in a saucepan, R points to the pan and says “that is a frying pan” .

I lift him up to show him what's inside ( tea) and ask what's inside

"Bacon" he replies
For instance the other day I am talking to my MIL – who expresses her worries on R’s future .

I tell her how Dh and I always approach just the next step and no further and that I don’t know what he will be but we have a lot of faith in him

I have to laugh when R who has been on the Ipad and not appearing to pay any attention at all to what I am saying

He takes my hand and belts out a Blues Clues Song “ you can be anything that you want to be “

And he is right