I’m currently grabbing a bite to eat (side salad w/ two cut up chicken fries) at Burger King while my sixteen year brother has a one hour visit with my thirteen year old brother and their father at the CPS agency. I originally planned on spending the hour there in the waiting room, as it’s quiet and comfortable and I can get an internet connection anywhere (thanks to Comcast’s mobile wifi), but once I realized that my mother intended on spending the hour there, I hightailed it out of there. Things are just awkward and tense. I don’t know what to say or what I shouldn’t say. What I do know is that even if we somehow get past all of this, there’s no way our relationship will be anything like it once was, so it’s better for all of us (especially my brothers), I think, if I keep my distance. Besides, I don’t know how to deal with my mom when she does that creepy switch thing and is all smiles and politeness and chit-chat.
Dan is at home with Alyssa, highly medicated on painkillers and muscle relaxants. He went back to work yesterday and clearly overdid things, even though I cautioned and begged him numerous times not to. Last night he admitted that the pain and stiffness in his head, neck and shoulders was as bad as it was the day after his vertebrae was first broken. I coaxed him into taking another Vicodin right then and there and got him as comfortable as possible in our bed.
Last night Dan and I had our first of five three and a quarter hour foster parent orientation/training classes. Even though we’re “just” kinship parents and not full-fledged foster parents, the requirements and expectations of care are the same for both types of resource parents, so we have four more of these classes to attend every Wednesday night.
Today Ryan’s party supplies arrived, which was a relief for me and a huge excitement for him. We’re having his Super Mario themed birthday party on Sunday at the same park we had the kids’ last two birthday parties, and the weather forecast is promising – 88° and sunny. That certainly beats the crazy thunderstorm and hail that started off the first half of Ryan’s birthday party last summer!
Grr. This morning I laid in bed, half-awake, and composed a really eloquent blog entry about what it’s like to be a parent to an autistic child. And then I got up, and instead of hurrying up and writing it down on the nearest computer, I took a shower and got all three kids set up with breakfast as they trickled out of their rooms instead. Dammit. While I’m eating my salad I’m going to do my best to recall my mental composition, but I’m not making any promises.
Don’t you wish your mental compositions had a save function?
Sorry Dan is hurting again.
Hope your kiddo has an awesome party…love the Super Mario theme.
I definitely don’t blame you for leaving. With her instability I’d leave too. I hope everything settles down and you can get into a routine without too much interference or road blocks.
Best not talk to your mother, glad the training sessions are going well.
Hope Dan feels better soon.
I had SO much catching up to do here!! I think I just went through about 4 pages of blog posts. LOL Sounds like you’ve had a lot on your plate… but, given everything, you have come so far in every aspect. You should be so proud of yourself and the person you are!! Stay strong, hun!
I’m pretty sure I would have left too– talk about awkward, lol.
As for Dan, what is it with men and pushing themselves further then necessary? I swear they think they know best but hello we’ve been taking care of them for years, we kind of know their limits! Lol.
Good luck with the foster care classes– it definitely sounds really interesting. Maybe you can give your insight as I want to adopt which I know is different at some point in my life.
The best way I sum up being a parent to a child on the autism spectrum is.. It won’t be easy (ever) but we will make it work! I know it might sound lame but it is the truth!
My son went through a Mario phase! We even bought all of the old school TV shows on DVD for him off of Ebay. He watched them a grand total of 1 time and then *BAM* on to the next phase. The only two he has ever fully stuck with is his love of trains and math!