We got right to school this morning. And we covered a lot. Religion included "God's Is Holy" from our Leading Little Ones To God book, Psalm 99, and the story of Polycarp from Trial and Triumph. Then it was Math, Reading, Writing, story time, starting our study of Yellowstone National Park, Spelling, and another chapter of Little House in the Big Woods.At this point, Ciaran came home, and we all ate. Then I got ready and I took all the kids with me to speech. I realized what an impression our religion lesson had made when Bridget started singing up a made up song to the coat rack that consisted mostly of the word "Holy". They were really awesome at speech though. It was amazing how much Ciaran did with his sisters there. He took turns, communicated "help", said "my turn", etc. Some people might think it's not such a good idea to have a big family when you have children with Autism who need a lot of time and attention. But really, for us, having a big family has largely been a big help.
After speech we went to Babies R Us to look around. The kids were good there too, but I was starting to feel the tired of lugging so many in and out of the car. It's all the car seat strapping, I think. It wears me out. Right now I long to have a bunch of kids who can fasten their own seat belts. But I know that when I do, I'll long for the days when they were all babies. Hey, at least I'm honest. I know I'm only kidding myself about the greener grass on the other side of the fence.
I guess today wasn't that spectacular for any special reason. It was just another day in the life. My kids were kids. They got made at each other, played together, and loved each other. We did every day things in every day ways. We laughed, learned, and enjoyed what we were given. And maybe there's a lesson in that somewhere too. One day these days will all blur together and I'll miss them. But today was just...today. And it was good.
As an only child, my thoughts on big families echo the thoughts of my bro-in-law (has one sibling only) when speaking about his friend's family (seven kids there)...
ReplyDelete"You are never lonely, never bored and if someone messes with you, there's an army."
I think "the more, the merrier" and lots of oppotunities to see interpersonal communication at different levels would be good for autistic children. I think people with no children or just one child assume that no matter how many kids you have they just clammer for your attention and compete with one another to meet their own needs. This is just not the case (a bit to my surprise!). Children do look to each other as much as their parents. My daughters seem to instinctively treat the younger kids the way I treat them. What an eye-opening experience that is!
I think the thought with families dealing with Autism is that the Autistic child needs so much time and attention that it could take away from the other kids. It just hasn't been my experience. That may be a good post for a Spectrum Saturday.
ReplyDeleteBig families really do have a lot to offer. :)
Just getting around to reading some of the older postings, and wow. This one hit home. I take all the kids with me to ABA with Fenway and it is amazing to see him interact with them. They help him speak, they help him know what is acceptable and not. THe do not hinder him in any way. The tutors notice a difference and I do as well.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.