Here's a picture of our little autism awareness tree :)It has certainly been a while since I've taken the time to post here. We've been really busy with all the holidays and I just have neglected this blog. I've started a post a time or two, but I'd always get side-tracked and forget about it! So, what about the holidays with children with autism? Ever give that any thought? Well, I can't say what it's like for every other family, but I'll share a little about how our holidays might be a tad different from yours.
First, there's the tree and packages. Yes, we have a tree and Matthew doesn't tend to bother it anymore. There were a few years that he liked some of the specific character ornaments, but the last few years, he hasn't bothered it. I didn't want to leave him out last year, and I added a small tree to his room with non-breakable ornaments that were big enough he couldn't choke on should he decide to need a snack, but he would not leave the ornaments on! So, this year his tree became the gingerbread tree in the kitchen :) As for the packages...our tree is not graced with them until Santa makes his visit. They don't last long with Matthew around...He opens any and all :)
Speaking of gifts, it is really hard on Matthew to have any self control when he can see them. He has to be watched like a hawk if he is around them...he had one out from under the tree and unwrapped before we could turn around at Mom's one day, and Jason, Ashlee and I were all in the room with him. He is super-fast! We try to not put him in the situation to have to be bothered by them if we can help it, so this year I kept all of my gifts at Mom's, wrapped them there and then took them where ever they would be opened at instead of keeping them at home. Some were even stowed in the back of my vehicle until opening time.
For most of our gatherings, we are in familiar places for Matthew...places he is at often and feels comfortable in. Occasionally, we'll be invited to homes that we are not at as often. I think it may make me more uncomfortable than Matthew, but not knowing how he will react to different surroundings make me nervous. I hold a certain standard to what I expect my children to act like in other people's homes and I am always afraid of something being damaged or messed up due to one of my children. Now that's something that I worry about with Jacob as well as Matthew, but there are extra concerns when autism is involved. (i.e.keep the sippee cup from leaking, don't slobber on the sofa, don't touch the television, etc.) It's really kind of hard to explain, but just know it's not always as easy as jumping in the car and heading off somewhere. I worry about Matthew's anxiety level since he can't tell me how he's feeling. These are things I'm sure NO one else thinks about, but worry wart Momma does!
Finding the perfect gift is not always the easiest task either. Matthew is not into a lot of toys, so it makes it hard to know what to get him. The old stand-bys are singing or wrestling dvds, wrestling men, wrestling magazines, and squishy toys. Matthew's big gift from the jolly red man this year was a Go Talk 9, which is an amazing gift, but I don't think Matthew was near as tickled with that high dollar item as he was his squishy ball or even the brochure out of his Gaither dvd :) I get the job of coming up with enough unique ideas to pass around the family...not near as easy as it is with Jacob. That boy wants one of everything...and he can vocalize his wish list.
While there are a few more obstacles to overcome for us than many other families, it is nothing to fret about and in our case, most are superficial. Probably the hardest thing for me is knowing that Matthew more than likely will never really understand what the real meaning of Christmas is. However, the blessings completely outweigh any little struggle, especially since most of them are more bothersome to me as Mom than to anyone else. It's kind of like in church when your kids act up...they're always louder or more noticeable to you than anyone else! I just want to ensure that Matthew has as great of a holiday as any other child :) One added bonus...the MAGIC of Christmas will be alive in our home for many years to come!
Happy New Year From Our Home To Yours!
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