Odd Things Special Needs Parents Encounter #1

♥ My tears cleanse the wounds I carry but your tears cause my heart to break. My smiles come from your laughter. My pride comes from seeing you stand back up after you fall. My direction is which ever way helps you become all that you can be. I am MOM. ♥

- Trying to explain an 8 year old with the mental age of a 4-5 year old why they can't ride in the cool kid car cart at the store. They really don't understand age limited toys and attractions.

- Trying to explain the things their bodies are going through, long before their mind is ready to deal with it.

- Pain they go through that rips their parents hearts, but the kids still find really stupid things to laugh at, like cartoon fart jokes.

- People who think that you are 1. babying  2. spoiling 3. exaggerating or 4. making stuff up. Really. They are out there and they tend to open their mouth and tell you what they think you are doing to screw things up.

- Random honesty from children that will have you crying... either from laughter or hurt feelings.

- Doctors and therapist who think they know it all about your kid, but don't. They also will contradict each other over the same thing. You should take them at their word but they won't take you at yours.

- Moments when the child seems like an insane alien transplant from some far off planet in the fourth dimension countered by moments when the child seems to be off the chart amazing.

- An odd sensation of never knowing if one should laugh, cry, scream, lecture, rant, chat, refer, or just sit quietly and watch the world go around.