I have known my twins, Alex and Aden, were a little different than other boys since they were really young. There were little things I would notice and I guess I just hoped they would grow out of it. But they never did.
Things liked overreacting. Both of them are inclined to overreact to the slightest things, like being near ketchup. Dealing with one temper tantrum in public is one thing, try dealing with two at the same time. Their extreme aversion (and ensuing meltdown) to even being near things like ketchup and pickles have even gotten us kicked out of McDonald’s.
Then they started pre-school. The teacher would constantly comment on their lack of focus and inattention. How they weren’t as social as others kids. She would kindly point out their work compared to “others their age.” Then, someone mentioned four little letters. A-D-H-D.
Aha! That must be it! Though I was strong against giving drugs to my babies (or so I thought), at least I had an answer. Something to Google. Something to look up. Something to fix it. Something.
With my uncomfirmed diagnosis in hand, I sent them off the kindergarten, secretly hoping that their pre-school teacher was wrong. Nuts. Tired. Labeling. We didn’t even get to Halloween before I started receiving calls from school…. the same words came back to haunt me…lack of focus and inattention…… they weren’t as social as others kids….their work compared to “others their age.” …continue reading
I don’t know what your house is like, but I live with 4 other people and a large dog. In my house, laundry is never EVER done! There’s always another load to be taken care of. That’s been worse lately because our dryer is slowly dying and it takes 2 hours (or longer) for it to dry even the smallest load, but it’s just not currently in the budget to replace. It’s a dream of mine to be able to put something in one of our hampers (yes, there are 4 of them) when the items that belong in that receptacle are not only cleaned and dried, but put away. At least then, I feel like I’ve COMPLETED that particular load of laundry. It rarely happens.
Life is the same way. When I became a Mom and held Big Brother for the first time, I saw his entire life. I saw his successes and the love he would always know. I saw him with many many friends and always with a big smile. I had the same visions when I first held Ballerina and Music Man. They started a little rockier than their big brother, being born at 34 weeks instead of 38 and requiring some NICU time and assistance, but they were big, strong and healthy. And I knew their lives would be filled with joy and happiness.
But then the dirty laundry started piling up. People noticed Music Man’s “Happy Dance” (i.e. flapping). ”THEY” noticed his desire to always do things by himself. ”THEY” noticed that neither he nor Ballerina hardly ever smiled. Notice, I say “THEY” noticed because I certainly didn’t. ”THEY” noticed that their tantrums were extremely inappropriate and not what one would expect from even a toddler. ”THEY” noticed that they weren’t talking. Well, OK, that one I took notice of. But I didn’t see that they had no DESIRE to communicate. ”THEY” did. To me, they were just my adorable twinsies who just weren’t ready to talk. And 4 years ago, I asked for help and Dad and I started to understand what was going on with our children. …continue reading
