One of THOSE days

It is only 11:30am and already it has been a long day. It is one of THOSE days. For those trying to understand what the sensory issues are in our household, let me give you a picture of what a day like this consists of.

Anything and everything can set the 7yr old off into a crying frenzy. You never know what will set her off and how to stop it. Sometimes she just needs to get it out before life can move on. This could be the simplest thing like not letting her get a chicken out, not getting the correct yogurt or simply turning off the tv. Most days these things are not a big issue but on a day like today it is a major issue. It can set her off crying for upwards of 5-10 minutes. That has been how this morning was for Mo. I can already tell that due to the uncontrollable emotions this morning that homeschooling will be extremely hard today and we will be lucky if we even get two subjects done.

Today the 2yr old has her emotions in check. It is a good day emotionally for her. However, her proprioceptive disorder is in high gear today. She is needing to touch everything and taste everything. All morning long I have chased her around the house getting her out of things and cleaning up her messes. Some could think this is normal 2yr old behavior, but it's not. It is more than that. Most two years olds make messes just to make messes. For Squeeks it is the intense NEED to feel everything, every texture, and taste every object. So far today it has mostly been food, paper and crayon related. Other days it is soap, cleaners, licking the floor and walls, and just about every other thing that could make her sick. Although today is rough, I am thankful it isn't anything that will harm her.

So, What does a day like this mean for the parent? It means that anything that I wanted to accomplish will not get done most likely. It means that my day will be solely focused on meeting sensory and emotional needs. This is so important because if their needs are not met then things will get worse. Tears will turn into anger and uncontrolled temper. Messes will become larger and 2yr old tantrums will start. As I type this I have 3 kids playing outside in "clean mud" (a combination of baking soda and enough water to made it into a moldable mud.) Why? This is extra sensory input. It feels good to them, gives them something to focus on and tells their brain to calm down. After this we should have a good hour or two. After lunch the 2yr old may or may not nap....

Well, now as I write this, the 2yr old has dumped her clean mud into the grass and is mad she can't pick it back up. It looks like this was the wrong input for today. Now we will be loading up and heading to the park. Why? Not to play but to hang on the bars, to climb the steps to the slide, to do all the things that give extra sensory input and tells her brain that this activity should wear her out and calm her down. On a bad day like today, there is nothing else that will work. Well, except swimming, that is the one exception.

As you can see from my last paragraph, I never know when and how my day will change. While I would love to control these things, some days it is not possible. Days like these I just pray to keep up a bit and remind myself that tomorrow is a new day. Today is today, do not worry about the house, worry about keeping the kids happy, healthy, fed, and well kept. Other things can wait. Even the therapists has informed me that at this age it is more important to learn to deal with the sensory disorder than to do school. SO, we do school on the good days, what we can on the bad days, and in the end, I know that my girl is not behind her peers and is well on her way to a good education. Hopefully between therapy and the things I do at home, she will also become a well rounded individual who knows how to control her lifelong disorder.