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Are we really moving forward, or are we stuck in a loop? That’s a question that runs through my mind almost daily now. We’ve been in our new location for almost 4 months and things continue to feel more like home.

The issue causing me worry is, are we doing too much too fast? Do we really need to be going 60 miles per hour so soon, or would a slower pace be better?

Before our move, we had the boys taking speech, occupational and physical therapy. It was hard to have all three therapies fit in one day for both boys and it was hard to take three days out of every other week to make them happen that way. We had homework assignments, but they seemed simple enough and we were able to get that done.

We are still doing these three therapies but now doing them each week and not all in one day. The appointments are more spaced out and things should be simpler but, for some reason, they are not. The boys seem to have more therapy homework and seem to be having a harder time coping with the added load. In addition to these sessions, Mr. C also has started vision therapy, which also has homework.

We moved and hit the ground running. We got our doctors in place, and got really good therapists. So far, they have seen things we hadn’t yet, and we are learning more about our boys’ needs. Different ideas are being tried for their sessions.

For example, our speech therapist noticed that Mr. C probably has an issue with chewing and jaw movement, not just how he uses his tongue to speak. She noticed that both boys have trouble with sensing time so she has us working on estimating how long things take. She has us using games to help the connection between brain and body. Not exactly what you picture when you talk about speech therapy, yet it is all part of the bigger picture.

C needs his vision therapy because it plays a big part of his processing issues. Both boys need physical therapy to help strengthen the core muscles of their body and gain strength which they are behind average on. They need occupational therapy to help them learn how to cope with their sensory processing issues and writing skills. All these are all important.

It's amazing, it’s wonderful. We have been so excited to have access to all the services that we need for our kids within an easy distance. However, I now wonder if we’ve taken too much on at once.

They need these therapies. We wouldn’t have gotten the referrals if they weren’t needed, but now we are being told that it’s too much for them. We are being told that most people don’t do three or four therapies at once.

It’s overwhelming. How do we know if we’ve made the right choice? We feel like the boys need each one of them, but how do you choose which one to pause until a later date? How do you tell your child that they need to wait to learn how to see better because they are overwhelmed and need fewer activities? Or do you tell them that they have to wait to learn how to cope with things that overwhelm them?

As a parent trying to give my kids the best leg up I can, I’m choosing not to tell them that. I choose to continue therapy as it is, knowing it may be a bit much right now. Doesn’t that teach them adult skills as well? As adults, do we get a choice to “pause” this obligation or “take a break” from that situation? No. They are young and resilient. They may have challenges, but they will adjust. Part of that is dependent on me as the primary caretaker. If my attitude promotes success they will succeed.

So, while it may be challenging, we’ll continue this 60 miles per hour pace we’re currently at.

I just hope that I can handle it.