8iRWeiXjcKj9kUz5Tebo4_k_FtY Life with Two Special Needs Children: Sometimes It's Hard to Watch

Friday, October 28, 2011

Sometimes It's Hard to Watch

Today the kids' had their Fall parties at school today.  I had planned on being there anyways, but Caleb's special ed teacher asked me the other day if I was planning on being there because the para that is usually with him had asked if she'd be able to leave a little early today.  The teacher told me that she had told her it depended on what my plans were.  I told her I was planning on being there, so I'd be with Caleb at the party.

I arrived at the school in plenty of time this year to get a good parking spot.  (Last year I was running late due to an appointment and had to park on the street and a bus hit my van as it tired to turn into the school.)

I went back and forth between the kids' classes helping them get their costumes on and then ended up in Caleb's class for the party.  The mom that planned the party had four games.  As I watched Caleb try the games, my heart just broke.  He just doesn't comprehend things and has so much difficulty when it comes to things like that. There were two games that involved straws - one where you had to blow through the straw and blow a plastic spider across a table and the other one where you had to suck in on the straw and carry a piece of paper from one desk to another desk and put it in a bucket (witch's cauldron).  At first Caleb refused to even put the straw in his mouth for the blowing game.  He would just blow with the straw out of his mouth. He eventually gave up.

The sucking game, he just could not get it.  I even told him it was like he was drinking through a straw, but he didn't get it.  The parent that was doing that game was really good and allowed Caleb to just pick up the paper in his hand and run it over to the cauldron.  For that I was very grateful!

It's just so hard to watch your little one struggle so much with things that come so easily to other kids.  Caleb can also be very competitive, so there was the potential for things going very badly, very quickly.  Thank you, Lord, that it went well!

All in all, Caleb did well at the party, for which I'm glad.  It really could have gone bad, especially when he couldn't have a second cookie!

Thank you, Lord, that it went well and we made it through the party without a meltdown!!!

2 comments:

Denise said...

I'm glad that it turned out well, although I definitely understand how hard it is to see our kids struggle with things that others take for granted. My little guy is very competitive, too, and I've seen how quickly things can go bad because of that!

Penelope said...

It is so difficult to see your child's delays in action. Our Lil Bit finally started talking but still has a long way to be with others his age.

Glad the day went well.