This post isn't geared solely to parents of special needs parents, though that may be what I usually focus on. All people from all walks of life are overworked, over rushed and overwhelmed. It's the curse of the modern age. Being a parent in this wild world is becoming more and more of a challenge, like balancing on a tightrope with a knife on your nose and fire below you. Like the fall wasn't enough to kill you. I often feel like I'm walking on the tight rope as a parent. As a person. My kid's challenges weigh on my shoulders, as do my own struggles. I have a home to care for, and a relationship to keep alive. One slip and I fall into the fires of life altering debt, single parenthood, the judges of society, and a depression so deep that I might never come out of. However, I changed things around for myself. The tightrope isn't so thin. I found out that there are things I can do to make myself take a step back and enjoy my life on tight rope.
0 Comments
Maybe you've heard about them online, in a book or a therapist has recommended it for your child, but what about these blankets is a big deal?
For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move. – Robert Louis Stevenson There is no greater fear nor excitement that comes from relocating. There is no greater need to see what's out there, and search for something more. Something, different. Something...mysterious.
Jumping back into reality, the modern world has made it damn hard but utterly convenient to move. The only thing that really holds us back, besides the suffocating security of routine around us, is literally our own family. Our own life. Kids! And if you have any sort of special need, disability or impairment? FORGETTTTABOUTIT!!! But seriously. There is more out there, so much more. Don't let that fear hold you too tight. Don't deny your need. Don't stay unhappy in a place because of your child. I can promise, there are a million possibilities out there. A million different lives you could be leading. I'm not going to push you out the door and throw your clothes after you. I'm even going to lay off on the whole "adventure is out there" bit. What I'm just saying is, there are other places that will cater to your life's high needs and be able to satisfy your need for a landscape change. I posted on Instagram about a month ago about this product I found just browsing around a natural grocery store. It got me really curious; I hadn't heard of this supplement before. So, on a whim, with an extra $20 to spend on a completely unknown substance for my child, I bought it! And boy oh boy, have I been surprised with the results. The changes in my son's abilities have been immense and noticeable, and even though there is limited research to back up this supplement as having an impact in children, I've found that it does amazing things!
Read below to see just what things I've seen. In the short time of having this blog, on Instagram and the website, I've been touched by so many stories and supporters that I can't not acknowledge it. This entire On Both Fronts project was started to reach out to others, become acquainted and supported, in my own journey that I was completely unprepared for. But in time, I've discovered that I am more of a person that people need support from, rather than giving support to me (though I am offered a fair share of that too!). I didn't realize that my strength was a blessing in disguise. I didn't realize how many were needing a person like me to make them feel better, to know it was going to be okay, that they can make it through this without losing themselves. I'm so glad that I've been able to be that person for them. They deserve it. By a mom who lives it everydayIf there is one thing the internet has taught me is that parenting a child is difficult. And if there is anything that running this blog has taught me is that, parenting a special needs child is super difficult near overwhelmingly impossible. I have two of those struggles living together with me. My eldest son, Hilo, has autism. Autism is a lot to handle, and for some children, it can be debilitating. I'm on all the mom groups. I read the stories. Plenty of children with autism are disruptive in their daily lives, unable to cope with certain environments or tasks expected for their progress, some are violent or self-harming. Sadly, some have to move to group homes because of their behaviors. I have one child with something like that. Now throw in a fragile baby (well he looks like a baby but he's a year and a half) with medical conditions up the wazoo, and I have a basket full of chaos. Tons of questions pour in but one always sticks out in my mind. How do you do it? First, let's delve into what exactly picky eating is. Picky eating can be typical of a normal developing child. For typical developing children, the onset of picky eating can begin starting at age 18 months until up to three years of age. This kind of picky eating is more about control and choice rather than the food itself, as shown by the ability to eat once they are hungry enough. I'd say that ageless classic line of, "A child won't starve themselves. They'll eat when they're hungry" might ring true for normal picky eaters. The shining light at the end of the rainbow is for them, the picky eating gets to leave around age 6 or so. On the opposite side, how to know your child has a selective eating disorder is more obvious. Onset of the eating habits are typically birth but can wait until four years of age before showing. The "obvious" part of the disorder is that the child doesn't reject certain foods. They reject entire food groups. Meats and vegetables are the usual suspects. Eating socially is typically avoided. The stress of having to eat foods in an over-stimulating place is too much work. Likewise, the stress of even touching or smelling new flavors and textures can result in meltdowns. And sadly, these behaviors do not stop; they continue into adulthood. Selective Eating Disorders are prevalent among the special needs community with a wide variety of disabilities like autism (ASD), oral-motor delays, swallowing difficulties, gastrointestinal problems and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). These are just a few difficulties, not all.
Now I was asked to give my God's honest opinion about this app called Kidloland. It is an app geared toward children under the age of 5. It advertizes to offer nursery ryhmes, games, learning activities and fundamental reading skills. On it's website which I have linked here, Kidloland is shown to have be given four awards or badges one of them being the Mom's Choice Award. Over 350+ moms and bloggers have endorsed the app itself, too. So hey, sounds great, right? Well this mom was given the chance to give this app a whirl and see if it holds up to the high standards that the website sets for consumers. |
AuthorGabrielle Rae is a special needs, stay at home mommy of two boys. She enjoys reading and writing novels in her spare time. @onbothfrontsArchives
August 2018
Tell me. |