Don't Take Things for Granted

 "Shut the EFF up!"

Now, all parents, (with NT or special needs kids), probably request silence at some point. Don't get me wrong, there are times when my son is making the craziest noises so loud that I can't think straight and I tell him to be quiet. But, there are some situations when I wish I could I had the opportunity to say shut up. I know that sounds confusing, so here's an example.

• "I came into this store for one reason, and I don't want to hear about what you want! So be quiet!"

I wish that my son could voice what he wanted. I don't care if he wanted everything that crossed our path. Nothing would give me more joy than for him to shout, "Mommy I want that toy, mommy I want those chips, mommy I want that shirt, or mommy I want those shoes."

I was talking to my sister one day on the phone and she was ranting about her youngest of two sons. Here's what she said,

"Oh my God, TJ is driving me crazy! He's just following me around saying 'Mommy, I love you. Hey Mommy what you doing' It's Mommy this and Mommy that and I wish he would just leave me alone and shut up!"

Now, I'm sure she wasn't thinking about who she was talking to. But in that moment I wanted to jump through the phone and slap her. I told her that she shouldn't complain to me of all people about that because I would be perfectly satisfied if my son could say even a variation of Mommy I Love You.

"My child is always wanting his/her friends to come over so they can wreck the house!" 

I hear this from people at work or I overhear from other parents talking to each other. I understand that you don't want your house wrecked. I don't like my house to be wrecked either. I just wish that my son HAD friends to invite over. More-so that he WANTED to make friends that he could invite over. I would love for him to have friends over and show an interest in interacting with them. Instead, most kids are terrified of him once they see a meltdown. And when they try to approach him to play, he either ignores them and on a bad day, attacks them.

"Every time we go somewhere, he/she always screams he/she has to go pee every 5 minutes so I spend more time in the bathroom than wherever we're going!"

This one isn't hugely common, but I'm sure it's still said often. I wish my son could even acknowledge the urge to go to the bathroom. Thankfully, he knows when I take him and pull his pants down and stand him in front of the toilet that he should push to see if pee comes out, but he still doesn't know when he has to go. He just knows the routine of going to the bathroom. I never expected to still pack a diaper bag for trips lasting longer than an hour when he is four and a half years old.

"My kid's always drawing on every piece of paper he/she can find, and his/herself too!"

I don't want my son to color all over the walls or anything. However, I do wish that he had the fine motor skills to hold a writing utensil and also the know-how to put the tip down and enjoy the effect of it making marks on paper or himself even. He, unfortunately, is not interested in even trying to make a mark. When I get him to hold a writing utensil, he wants to put it in his mouth, and if he can actually chew and swallow it, (i.e. crayon) he will!