The challenge today was really intense. Michael was in a really terrible mood most of the afternoon. He was argumentative and grumpy and really extreme. Normally, he will get in a mood and it will pass within an hour or two. Today, it lasted for several hours. Toward the end, he was upstairs in his room and I was downstairs crying.
Then, the surprise/miracle of the day happened. Michael came downstairs and he was calm. He actually noticed that I was crying and asked if I was crying because of his behavior. He had never made that kind of connection before. He has understood that he has had bad behavior, and that I get sad sometimes, but he has never connected the two so directly. Let alone put it into words.
After that, he was pretty much back to normal. We played some Christmas games on the wii and then went for a drive to see how many people have put up lights. It was actually a fairly nice evening. Of course, I feel like I’ve been on a day long roller coaster ride. But, at least the hills were as good as the valleys were sad. And, tomorrow is another day.
Hugs! I'm glad to hear these stories of Michael growing before your eyes! I happened to witness a tantrum by a boy about his age that I can only imagine, from how simply calm the rest of the family was, that he was on the spectrum, and I know other families in this crowded space were probably judging the mother and wondering why her boy was acting in such a way and saying such terrible things to his siblings, but all I wanted to do was hug the mother, tell her she was doing a great job and that I know others who live her life and I have nothing but admiration for them as even on Ruby's worst day, it's NOTHING like a normal day for many of you gals. (and dads, don't want to leave them out) but yeah, I thought of you on Saturday and it just warms my heart to hear he's learning empathy and connecting your emotions to his behavior. that's a HUGE step for both of you!
ReplyDeleteYour comment really made me smile, Coli! Whenever Michael has a major meltdown, it seems like everyone is staring and judging. You couldn't know how far an encouraging/understanding smile directed at the parent will go. I really do hope that we're moving forward. Some days it's hard to see, but there is always room for hope! :)
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