Failure is Always an Option

There is a group I follow on Facebook for parents of 2E kids. The other day, a post on that page struck a chord. This mom said:

“I feel like a jerk sometimes for "forgetting" that my child has a real and genuine disability. So often, I'm ready to rip out my hair and scream, "You are EIGHT years old and you have an IQ in the 99.998th percentile! You shouldn't need me to brush your teeth and tie your shoes!"

I *know* she has a disability but so often, I just think of her age and her intelligence and find myself feeling angry that she still needs help with these things. I know it's unfair and it's something I'm always working on as a parent, but it's hard sometimes.”
Twice Exceptional Children (2E) on Facebook

I know exactly what she means. I feel this way quite often, raising feelings of guilt too. Our Mr. E is now almost 10, Mr. C is almost 7. They are always asking for me to do this and do that for them. “Seriously, you can’t figure out how to put bread in the toaster?” “Can’t get up and get yourself water?” “Can’t figure out how to turn on the shower?” “Ahhhgggg! I have things to do, figure it out!”

However, on the flip side, I do way too much for them. We were at the boys’ therapy session last week and I took a few minutes to connect and discuss a game-plan with the therapist. After talking with her for just a few moments, I had an A-HA! Moment: my boys can’t do things because I do everything for them! My life is made ten times harder because of my own issues with needing it to just get done now, not in a few moments.  Or, like the old adage says, “if you want it done right, do it yourself.” I think that I have allowed their limitations in some areas affect all areas in their life.

For example, I’m pretty sure that they both could operate the toaster but, they are afraid of getting burned though, so they don’t use it. Instead, they expect me to drop what I’m doing and make them toast. The A-HA! moment came from me explaining to the therapist that I still cut up their waffles in bite-sized pieces for both of them. What? My kids are afraid of getting cut, so they are nervous of knives. This leads to them taking ridiculous amounts of time to eat unprepared food and lots of mess while they struggle to figure it out. I have no patience for that. I hate seeing them struggle with it. “Ugh! just give it to me and I’ll do it!” So I just do it. I haven’t given them a chance to try. Oh, the guilt!

Yes, these boys have special needs that must be considered but, I have allowed them way too much freedom to exploit their parents’ kindness and love. Time to put the foot down. “You’re thirsty? You have the ability to get a cup and fill it. If you spill, oh well. Now you know how to pour.” “You want toast” Then put the bread in the toaster and turn it on. I’m happy to help you pull it out when it’s done, but you figure out how to put the butter on.”

How many of their issues are my fault? I still, occasionally, feel responsible for their issues anyway. I work constantly on not connecting the autism or sensory processing to something that I did or didn’t do while pregnant. It’s so easy to take that blame. It is not my fault. It just happened. But now? Now, I think I legitimately caused some delays because I’m a hoverer, I’m a doer and yes, I’m a mom who loves “helping” with projects… probably too much. I’m a helicopter parent.

The full weight of this came crashing down on me this week. I spoke with the hubs about the therapy visit and my epiphany, and explained how we need to let go of some of this work. Help the boys learn for themselves. He’s on board. So, now, we instruct them to do what they need to do or help them work it out, but they do it.

Meanwhile, we’ve had a full moon and some heavy winds at our house which always cause the fuzzies. Their brains are less clear. They feel unwell, scattered. They are loud and bouncing off the walls until asked to do something. Then they need time to rest. This is normal crazy-time in our house as the weather changes to unpredictable fall weather. This is the worst time of year for us. Along with the unpredictable weather, we get unpredictable children. Children who are already struggling to fit back into a school schedule. Struggling to attend classes or therapies at the school despite being home-schooled most of the time. Children who spend days in their PJs, refusing to leave the house. This is the normal fall crazies.

Now, this week, we are adding a little more tough love: making them do more for themselves. We are already seeing the results in anger flare-ups and meltdowns. The boys fight more and whine more. Sleep is more difficult. They appear lazy but, really, are overwhelmed with the change. It makes for days like today, when I ask myself if it’s too early for happy hour! I’m stressed and struggling to teach them; to keep their attention and keep the peace while trying to run the rest of the house. This was never the plan. My brain is resisting – I’m cranky too. To E, I find myself saying, “You’re almost 10! This should be so easy for you!” I find myself forgetting that he has so many issues to deal with…

Now C starts into one of his epic meltdowns; most likely over something that seems like nothing to me. The other day, it was because he kept messing up the alphabet letter he was writing. It wasn’t perfect, so the pencil was thrown down and the arms folded, holding his head while he sobbed – actual tears this time. “Wait, what? Why are you crying over that? That’s so ridiculous! Just take a breath and try again. That’s why we use a pencil: so we can erase. What is the matter with you?” Oh! That’s right, the meltdown is the end of his struggle to contain big emotions and feelings. He cannot control this. He can’t explain why he’s upset but, there is no doubt that he’s done for the day.

These are the moments when I blame myself. I feel like a failure. Now I’ve lost my cool. I’m not patient anymore. These kids, that are the loves of my life are driving me crazy. There are times that I can’t stand to be in the same room as them.

So, while I am not to blame for their disabilities, I am to blame for much of their lack of basic life skills and knowledge. I’ve made our lives harder by trying to make them easier. It sounds strange to say that but, it’s true.

It is time for me to let them go a bit more. To stop treating them like small children and help them realize that they can do more. Maybe, just maybe, by doing this, while, for now, things may seem more difficult, more of a mess and take longer, maybe life will get easier.

It’s like my son’s fortune cookie last night said: “You will never succeed without learning from failure.”