Well, Sunday we had the whole family up to visit David. All of the kids were there, as well as Mom and I. We spent the period watching Finding Nemo, and playing games. All in all, I count it as a major success. No meltdowns, no tantrums. I wish they all went so well. Tweet #fighting4answrs
It is 5am. I can’t sleep. Later today the whole family is going to visit David. Can we say I feel a little angst about this? Yes we can. See, we have more than one child with emotional needs. More than one child with an Autism diagnosis. More than one child with feelings of angst, feelings of sadness and worry. Will David erupt? Will he be mellow like he was this past week for his mom and I? I don’t know. When dealing with mental illness, there are no guarantees. No promises. Medication can only bring him part way. How do we handle things if the visit goes bad? Do we continue to bring the other children for future visits and risk harm to their emotional state? Where do we draw the line? Don’t mistake this as us giving up on David. This isn’t that. This is us, worrying about
How about a family that has more than one child with special needs? While I can’t speak for every family, I would say that a marriage can survive, but… always a but.. There has to be communication. What follows is my 10 point list for marriage with special needs kids in the family. Communication Private time. Date time. Family time. Understand the needs of the family. Understand the needs of the spouse or significant other. Apologize when necessary. Love Laugh often Personal time. Communication No marriage can survive without communication. Communicate, communicate, Communicate. Oh yeah, did I say Communicate? Good morning, Good evening, hello, are the beginnings, but if that is all that your communication entails, you need to step it up a notch. Communication with your spouse can be as simple as a caress. A hug. A smile. Communication isn’t just about talking, though that is important too. Communication