It feels like I am a pebble slowly flowing through a stream with small cascades. The stream gradually flows into a river with larger cascades causing the water to move faster and faster as well as the pebble. The river water gains momentum until it plummets over a crashing, powerful waterfall. The pebble is flowing along and has no awareness that the waterfall is coming. Once it falls, there is no stopping it. The water keeps pounding on the pebble. The pebble can kind of see other rocks and some pebbles around it so it is not alone; however, the pounding water does not stop. The pebble is trapped under the waterfall and cannot break free. It’s shape is changing and the pebble is powerless to change it.
I have felt like that pebble over the last few months slowly gaining momentum heading in a direction I cannot control. My shape changes just a little and I have moments of vulnerability I cannot hide. As of the last couple of weeks, the water around me has moved faster and my shape is changing more. As of a few days ago, I have plummeted over the waterfall. I don’t want to be at the bottom of the waterfall just trying to move. I want to be back up on the top in the nicely flowing river. I want to come up for air. I need help!
My personality is one where I try to keep most things inside and contained. For better or worse, that is what I do. I like to control my environment around me and it helps to keep me safe and I can keep my life together. Now that I am at the bottom of the waterfall, I can’t keep everything nice and contained. I can’t put up a facade that everything is ok, or if I do, I can only hold it together for a few hours. When there is a lull, I start crying. And sometimes, it is that big, ugly gasping for air crying.
My older son with special needs has started public kindergarten. He has a good, caring teacher. He has a shared TA that wants to help. He has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). He has a principal that wants to help. However, he is struggling. He is struggling with all fine motor activities – cutting, writing, coloring, copying, buttoning buttons, tracing and with math – 1-1 correspondence, counting to 30, visually seeing the difference in 3, 4 or 5 items and with pre-reading – correlating sounds with the appropriate letters, blending, sounding out words, and sight words. He struggles to feel motivated, to try and to stay focused. He struggles to follow too many steps presented to him. He struggles to control his behavior and his words. He struggles with being over stimulated. We knew before he started that these would be challenges. We also knew that we would have to advocate for him. I guess some of the things we did not expect are 1) An inexperienced case manager who did not know she needed to track CB’s goals 2) A school/teacher that would send a Kindergartner with an IEP to the office 3 days in a row for inappropriate behavior 3) A principal/teacher that seem to be on the same page with you and then the very next day do something completely different. 4) A school not equipped to help CB with his behavior challenges and learning disabilities. Why is it so hard? I feel like a failure to my son. I feel like I don’t know how to support him with his needs. I don’t want him to already dislike school. I don’t want him to feel inferior to his peers. In some areas, he is barely progressing and I don’t know how to help and I don’t feel the school does either. We have a request for a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) in order to create a behavior intervention plan (BIP) at school, but it has not been started yet.
I have also felt like a failure in my outside activities related to CB’s genetic difference. I feel incapable of motivating the group which in turn makes it hard to move forward with our organization’s goal to raise funds for research to help CB and others like him.
I am contemplating using ADHD meds with our son for the first time ever. It is a difficult decision and one that we do not take lightly He has numerous sleep disturbances every night, as well, and we are currently trying melatonin to help it. In November and December, we tried supplements prescribed by CB’s neurologist which included prescription-strength omega 3s, gaba, methylated folate (Vitamin B12), magnesium (25 mg), Vitamin B6 (12.5mg), and zinc (5mg). Ultimately, we feel it made him more hyper and he was just as inattentive. We most likely will stick with melatonin a little longer and if that doesn’t help try a little Benadryl. He wakes up sneezing just about every morning so that could help for both the disturbances and the sneezing. We feel if he gets better sleep, then his attention and behavior will improve. If this does not help his sleep, then it looks like ADHD meds will be the way to go.
I want to feel like I am not being pounded. I want to feel like I am slowly moving through the water. I want to be able to come up for air! I cannot remain alone. I must ensure to put out all these thoughts and feelings into the universe, whether it be through blogging, talking with friends, talking with my husband, talking with other parents with children with special needs, and/or talking with a counselor. This is too much to carry alone and I don’t need to do it. I don’t need to worry about being a burden or about putting my issues on others. I don’t need to feel like I am a failure and a burden and keep it inside. Inside it grows and festers and keeps the water pounding and pounding non-stop on me. I need to make a promise to get outside more, blog more, to not carry the worry/guilt/feelings alone, to care for my husband and our relationship more and to spend time thinking about positive ways to help CB feel successful and happy!