Man, was today ROUGH!
OK, so really it’s been like this all week.
This is the first week of school. RoseBud has had a fairly good week so far, from the brief comments from her new teacher at her new school. I’ll be meeting with the teacher in a few weeks after everything settles down.
Yesterday we went straight from school to the neurologist office. They are so sweet there. The EEG lab is right around the corner from the lobby (thats where they try to get patients to fall asleep and see if they’re having seizures in their sleep). Because RoseBud is SO LOUD they had to move my crew (all 7 children jabbering away) into a back room. They even put the tv on for them. Unfortunately, several of the children are sick and between sick kids and RoseBud’s exuberance it was NOT a pretty sight. I think that was the fastest dr. appointment we’ve ever had – and that included the blood draw and everything!
Today. Well, as much as I’d rather not even talk about it, you might be interested to know what 20 minutes of my life is like on a B-A-D day. We went to Grandma’s house straight from school. About 30 minutes after arriving, RoseBud and Evelyn start fighting over a toy. Not just arguing. This was a knock-down, drag out fight between a whiny yet oh so loudly shrieking 4 1/2 year old and her almost 8 year old sister that is double her size and weight! So I go in to break up the fight and they totally ignored me, continued the wailing, shrieking, blood curdling screams.
“That’s it!” I yelled. “GET IN THE CAR – WE’RE LEAVING!”
This is where the wailing got even louder (I didn’t know that was possible!). See how one thing is just building on another? Duh. I know better than to raise my voice – it just makes everything worse. Anyway, Evelyn went to the car in a hysterical state. RoseBud, however, decided to stand there and do that ear-piercing scream – “NO. I NOT GO HOME! I STAY GRANDMA HOUSE!!!!”
If you’ve never heard her scream, you may not understand. Let me explain. Most children can scream loudly when they really want to. Most children can yell. This is WAY beyond what most children can do. This is an “ice pick through the ear drums” kind of shriek. And it’s not only high pitched (enough to make dogs from several neighborhoods away cover their heads and moan), but it’s about as loud as putting your head inside a police siren.
But I digress. She was absolutely not going to budge. So what did I do? I firmly, calmly, took her hand and walked her to the car. Right… No, seriously. I went to hold her hand and she punched me repeatedly. Everytime I tried to grab her hand, she punched, kicked, spit, and screamed at me. I have to admit it was a battle between my flesh that wanted to punch her back (thank you adrenalin…not) and the Spirit telling me that I needed to back off and back away. [no, I never actually punched her back so don’t call the cops!]
Have you ever been so mad you wanted to just tear someone’s head off? Yeah. I had a moment there. But when it passed, I said through gritted teeth (in as nice a way as I possibly could after being attacked by a 7 year old) “Get in the car N-O-W!!”
And every time she screamed “NO!”, I just pointed to the door. Over and over and over. No eye contact. Just a firm finger pointing straight out the door – unbudging.
She made it to the car, and after only about 15 minutes we were backing out of the driveway. Not to say that the fight was over. Oh no. The screaming was continuous for pretty much the entire drive. My ears were RINGING by the time we were about to get off the freeway.
That’s when the shoe hit me in the side of the face and knocked my glasses off one ear. Yes, you heard right. She threw a shoe at my head. On purpose. Out of anger.
Oh yes, I forgot that one little detail – we have this little rule – RoseBud is not allowed to wear shoes in the car. Because inevitably she will take them off and throw them at someone. But with all the screaming and adrenalin I didn’t think to make her take those shoes off!
I totally ignored the shoe. Do you know how hard it was to get whacked in the side of the face with a shoe and not wince, make any comment or anything???
Well, we made it home and I made everyone – and I mean EVERYONE – go to their rooms. RoseBud was so darned ticked off about that. She went to her bedroom and within 5 minutes came out with a NEW OUTFIT on. Yep. She pooped in her pants in her bedroom. This is not something new – she has been having accidents on and off all summer. But today, well, today it seemed like it was on purpose.
I just pointed back to her bed. That ‘no eye contact, finger pointing position’ that I get when I am absolutely going to WIN the battle. She did eventually go back to her room and get back into bed.
Whew! Glad that’s off my chest.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for helping me keep my temper in check today. Thank you that I didn’t strangle anyone. Thank you that the shoe hit me as I was stopping for the light off the freeway! Thank you that I didn’t kill anyone on the road from all the blood curdling screaming. Please help me remember how to deal with these fights better when I’m in the moment. Help my children, my husband and myself get over this horrible cold. And would you please send a guardian angel down here to fight off any bad stuff that is trying to attack us? It’s like all hell is breaking loose in our home and I’m not able to deal with the fighting. Maybe that’s it – I can’t fight it, I need your strength! Help me Lord. Please. AMEN!
Luke 11:9 -13 (Words straight from Jesus’ mouth) “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
GirlyAutism 