Night Before Christmas for ASD parents

[Hasil72]

Happy Holidays everyone!

A friend saw this and thought of me... (Sorry if this has already been posted.)


Autism Night Before Christmas
by Cindy Waeltermann

Twas the Night Before Christmas
And all through the house
The creatures were stirring
Yes, even the mouse

We tried melatonin
And gave a hot bath
But the holiday jitters
They always distract

The children were finally
All nestled in bed
When nightmares of terror
Ran through my OWN head

Did I get the right gift
The right color
And style
Would there be a tantrum
Or even, maybe, a smile?

Our relatives come
But they don't understand
The pleasure he gets
Just from flapping his hands.

"He needs discipline," they say
"Just a well-needed smack,
You must learn to parent..."
And on goes the attack

We smile and nod
Because we know deep inside
The argument is moot
Let them all take a side

We know what it's like
To live with the spectrum
The struggles and triumphs
Achievements, regressions...

But what they don't know
And what they don't see
Is the joy that we feel
Over simplicity

He said "hello"
He ate something green!
He told his first lie!
He did not cause a scene!

He peed on the potty
Who cares if he's ten,
He stopped saying the same thing
Again and again!

Others don't realize
Just how we can cope
How we bravely hang on
At the end of our rope

But what they don't see
Is the joy we can't hide
When our children with autism
Make the tiniest stride

We may look at others
Without the problems we face
With jealousy, hatred
Or even distaste,

But what they don't know
Nor sometimes do we
Is that children with autism
Bring simplicity.

We don't get excited
Over expensive things
We jump for joy
With the progress work brings

Children with autism
Try hard every day
That they make us proud
More than words can say.

They work even harder
Than you or I
To achieve something small
To reach a star in the sky

So to those who don't get it
Or can't get a clue
Take a walk in my shoes
And I'll assure you

That even 10 minutes
Into the walk
You'll look at me
With respect, even shock.

You will realize
What it is I go through
And the next time you judge
I can assure you

That you won't say a thing
You'll be quiet and learn,
Like the years that I did
When the tables were turned.......

 

[mechurchlady]

OMG that is so beautiful and should be framed. I set here and read this board and see those little miracles and tiniest steps then teary eyed jump with joy. Others cannot understand how I could be bouncing with joy over another person's child's tiny little step forward but to me them little steps are like watching my favourite team win the Super Bowl or World Series. Them little steps are sunshine to me.

Thank you for something beautiful to read and may God bless you and give you a Merry Christmas.

hugs and chocolates from Laurie

 

[C&G'sMama]

Great post. DS(5) has Aspergers. He's a star in the Christmas Pageant at church tomorrow. We went to dress rehearsal on Saturday. He has his star costume all figured out, he's going to twinkle and he's ready. I get a phone call yester day, they've decided not to have the kids wear the star costumes You know what that means.. I have to tell him. (I guess I should be thankful they told us ahead of time). Instead of star costumes that they wear over their bodies and head they will be wearing HeadBands and carrying stars on a stick. "BOYS DON'T WEAR HEADBANDS" "I'M NOT GOING TO BE IN THE PLAY" add in some yelling, banging, foot stomping etc. "Honey, these are costume headbands so it's okay" He's still not thrilled but he's getting used to the change, doesn't like it, but he's getting used to it. Could you imagine if we showed up tomorrow and hadn't found out 'til then. It would have made for a very interesting Christmas Story. Last year he was a cow and he and one of the other cows wandered off to the stable during service. And during rehearsal he proclaimed "COWS ARE BORING" and "THIS PLAY IS RUINED" It's alway something
So thank you for the poem. It's definitely a keeper.

 

[BeckyScott]

C&G- this past Halloween, for a few days, oldest DS said he wanted to be James Bond. I fluked into a tux shirt and a pair of tux pants at the Salvation Army. (no doubt some high school orchestra leftovers) Then he changed his mind, again, and the tux stuff ended up in his closet.

The 5th graders do a Christmas concert (okay, a "Holiday" concert), and were supposed to dress up. He insisted on wearing his tux shirt and pants. Except we had no bow tie, hadn't gotten that far with the costume. So then he decides to wear a regular tie. But all his ties are clip-on and DH only owns one tie and it was way too long. So he insists that what he must do is wear the tux shirt with a clip-on regular tie. Oh no. And you know it's like 10 minutes before we're supposed to leave. I cannot let him do the concert with a tux shirt and clip-on tie. He thinks it looks fine. It does not look fine. We could have gotten away with it if he were in preschool maybe because little kids can get away with that sort of silliness, but not in the 5th grade. You can't wear a clip-on tie with a tux shirt. I did the whole "choices" routine, here are your two choices, standard-issue routine around here, and he liked neither choice.

Be warned, first a headband, next he'll want to wear every dressy thing he owns all at once.

He peed on the potty
Who cares if he's ten,

Love that, good choice on the preposition. He peed on the potty, not in it. That's how it works around here!

 

[Sunbeamblue2002]

Wow thanks I needed that today. Now maybe I'll be able to get through Chirstmas Eve dinner at the In laws. They have no clue and don't even want to understand. But this helped alot. Merry Chirstmas everyone.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

Thank you for posting that. It rings so true.

 

[mickey squared]

I think I need to frame that as here my family sits, all by ourselves, with our two children with autism on Christmas Eve. Thank you...

 

[C&G'sMama]

The Christmas Pageant went off without a hitch (this is why I know miracles exist ) He did yell "I WANT TO GO HOME, I'M BORED" at the end of service but it was fairly noisy at the time and it was the end.

 

[ireland_nicole]

Thank you so much! Sometimes I forget that I don't inhabit this world by myself. Especially Christmas eve; DD left the risers half way into the childrens choir set because the risers didn't feel right and her new shoes pinched...DS had to be escorted our screaming I wanna go home, it's too dark as we started the candlelight service, and the pastor complained that guests might not have appreciated the worship leader signing to her kids throughout the service... but on this thread, our Christmas Eve was "normal" YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy new year everyone!

 

[C&G'sMama]

Thank you so much! Sometimes I forget that I don't inhabit this world by myself. Especially Christmas eve; DD left the risers half way into the childrens choir set because the risers didn't feel right and her new shoes pinched...DS had to be escorted our screaming I wanna go home, it's too dark as we started the candlelight service, and the pastor complained that guests might not have appreciated the worship leader signing to her kids throughout the service... but on this thread, our Christmas Eve was "normal" YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy new year everyone!

Last year during communion DS started perserverating on "I'm bored, I want to go home" in his usual unmodulated volume. Yes, we were directly in front of the priest distributing comunion, There are several "stations" and although we were in the back of the church we were on an aisle.
Happy New Year to everyone too. It is very nice to know we aren't alone