Family, Kids, Pets

Real Life

November 8, 2014 / 12 Comments

You wake up in the morning and get your kids dressed and ready to go to preschool. Walk out to your car. Hop in. Make sure everyone is buckled up and you are on your way. Simple enough, right?

Well, that doesn’t seem to be the case here.

Last April we found out our youngest son has Sensory Processing Disorder. If you have a child with SPD or have someone close to you that does, then you may already be familiar with the stress and difficulties that go along with parenting a child that does. If you don’t, well for us it’s rough.

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Around age 1 1/2 we started to notice some of his symptoms. He is a typical “crash and bang” kid, clumsy, walks not just on his toes, but the tops of his feet too, and all transitions are unbearable for him. We had him evaluated a couple times and it wasn’t until he was 2 1/2 that he finally qualified for services. Now, each week our little guy has over 5 hours of therapy, a combination of Occupational, Speech, and Special Ed.

With the help of three wonderful therapist, my son has been making tremendous progress over the past several months. Unfortunately over the last several weeks, he has had some major set backs like fighting to get dressed or removing his clothes, refusing to get in his car seat, major meltdowns while being in public and let’s not even talk about diaper changes. I am spending anywhere from 3-5 hours a day in a physical fight with my 3 year old and I am tired. He has incredible strength and his stubbornness is stronger.

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I have had an extremely hard time coming to terms with my son’s SPD. As a parent, you just want the best for your children and this is not the way I pictured parenting. I realize now, I just need to let go of that perfect idea of being a stay at home mom that takes her kids to parks, the library, museums, and special events with other moms and kids. These things just aren’t in the cards for us. Part of my metal struggle is that he is such an incredibly sweet kid and I hate to have to see him go through this. His personality is incredibly charming and very captivating.

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Another difficult part of all of this is seeing how my younger son’s SPD is affecting our 4 year old. It is heartbreaking. I end up spending so much time fighting my 3 year old that by the time I am finished I just have nothing left to give and my older son. He sometime gets the short end of the stick and knows it.

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Through this whole process, our entire family is learning so much. For starters I had no idea what SPD was until I found myself in the middle of it. We are learning our son’s triggers and coping methods for all of us. If you have never witnessed a sensory meltdown before, let me tell you, it is completely different than a temper tantrum.

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I know I am so lucky to have these two beautiful boys in my life and I cherish ever moment, the good and bad, I spend with them each day. We have just hit a rough patch.

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With everything going on here, I have decided to take a step back from the blog and really focus on the needs of my family. Every day is truly unpredictable and can be completely different from the next. I still plan to be involved in the blog, but until we get a handle on our family challenges, you may see a little less of me around here. Erin may be flying solo for a little bit. If you have a minute, please provide her with some additional bloggy support. Thanks for your understanding!

12 Comments

  • Amy | Canary Street Crafts

    November 8, 2014 at 1:25 pm Reply

    Big hugs to you, momma! Thank you for being brave enough to share this with us. I hadn’t heard of SPD before now. Both of your boys are so adorable, and I’m sending you lots of good energy as you take a blog break to spend more time with them.

  • Breanna

    November 9, 2014 at 4:39 pm Reply

    Much love and many prayers to your family, Emily. I’ve never heard of SPD before but it doesn’t sound like something anyone should have to go through. Thank you for sharing with us and I hope this time off will help you and your family deal with this. XO

  • Kristi

    November 9, 2014 at 10:26 pm Reply

    It takes a strong Mama to advocate for her child and then help him find the answers as he journeys through it and finds his way. Nobody will know what he needs (or how to help him find what he needs) better than you – even when it feels like you may not know anything. Wishing you and your family strength Emily as you figure out the best way to not just live with this, but work through it with that little man! Much love!

  • Mary @ Orphans With Makeup

    November 10, 2014 at 9:37 am Reply

    Hi Emily – I am the mother of a Special Needs Child. He does not have SPD but is intellectually handicapped. He is now 23 years old and our life has certainly been interesting! Lots of ups and downs! When we first get the “diagnosis”, we grieve the loss of that “perfect” child we all anticipated. My best advice as I look back is to take things one day at a time. Focus on the present and deal the present issues. If you can find a Support Group in your area, it would be good for you to form friendships with parents who are going through the same process. For me it was a saviour. I wish you lots of strength as you sort through this. Remember to take time to do things you enjoy for yourself too. Your boys are such blessings.

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