Mental Health Dad

Stuff

I'm often amazed at how focused our children can be.  It's a wonder that they can get their studies in their heads with all the other things that are going on up there.  I don't know if it is the same with all you other parents, but my son Matt is a plethera of activities outside school.  One moment it's all about basketball and when we're going to get a hoop built in to the driveway.  The next it's what flowers and what seeds we can plant at the church we go to.  And let us not forget the poetry he is working on for school.  He sequestered me as a judge of his poem upon coming off the bus after school today.  While I am a poet, and do enjoy other works, I felt I had to help.  Oh, by the way, did I mention that all of these activities took place in a time frame of about 20 minutes after stepping off the bus. 

Now I know that our ( special ) children have the ability to do very well in school.  That has been one of the biggest blessings that my wife and I have had since we learned of his condition.  I am also aware that the can turn their minds on and off to all different activities.  Maybe, it's a new generation thing, the whole overloading of the mind.  All I know is that in my day, if I had all of that going on upstairs, I would have short circuited something a long time ago.  I believe that it is healthy though, and I hope to encourage it on and maybe one day all of that will be straightened out into some sense of order.  If you are experiencing any of these traits in your child, consider it a blessing and try to encourage your child to reach for the stars, for that is where belong.   

Pets

Hello, everyone.  I just thought I would drop a line to all the parents out there who may or may not be having trouble with your child and relationships.  My oldest son, now 12 soon to be 13, has had several pets in the course of his life.  He has enjoyed the company of all his pets the entire time he has had them.  I recently had the opportunity to really see how he reacts to them and how they react to him. 

     His latest pet is a flopped eared bunny.  His whole body is gray and he has bright red eyes.  He is so cute when he is playing on my sons bed while my son cleans out his cage.  I sat down on the bed to play with Jonah ( the rabbits name ), and he scooted behind me where I couldn't see him.  In hindsight I probably shouldn't have wore my orange/red shirt because he nipped me on my side.  My son says that I looked like a giant carrot to Jonah.  Fun time aside, I watched my son as he cuddled and played with his rabbit and spoke to it and scratched it behind its ear.  It's amazing how my son can be so raged one moment and so gentle the next.  It's also wonderful to see how Jonah recognizes my son and is very allowing of him to do all the stuff that others may not be allowed to do according to Jonah. 

     My son has also had, in his life, a hermit crab, and many small fish.  He has taken care of all of them the same way and has received much love from all of them in return.  I guess the moral of all of this is that a small pet can be just what a special child needs to keep balanced in their everyday lives.  I know that my son has felt like noone understands him at times, and it's when he feels that way that his pet can be the greatest consoler he has.  If your child is going through a life change, like puberty, or is just unable to reconnect with the world, then maybe purchasing a small pet is just what the doctor ordered. 

Tip Jar Explanation

Hello, again.  I want to thank all who visit my blog and leave the comments that you do.  I just wanted to remind everyone that I have a tip jar available just underneath my about page.  Please allow me to explain why this is.  My wife and I have always been quite involved in the mental health community since we learned of our sons condition.  We have been part of fund raisers and have given what we could when we could to help aid in research to find a cure.  It is our sincere belief that science is close to finding cures to many of the illnesses that plague our children.  With that in mind, I plan on offering 50% of all that I receive from the tip jar to research for a cure.  So, if anything I have composed has moved you to want to help, then this is your chance.  If you should have a particular area where you would like your specific funds to go, that is different than the 3 groups that my wife and I would like to support, please earmark your funds with a comment to my e-mail. The 3 groups we actively support and will be using the money from here to continue that support are CABF, JBRF and ASA.    Thanks for your support.

Memoirs of Dad

If any of you have ever felt like you are ready to pull your hair out because of your kids, there's probably a reason for that.  As dads these days we deal with much, much more that our fathers probably did.  But, if you're a father or a grandfather you will likely enjoy this poem about being a dad in todays world.  Enjoy.

Update

Thanks to all who visit my blog.  I again made it through another birthday without incident.  My tried and true methods have proven effective again.  I also want to thank all who commented for their helpful advise.  I am also proud to announce that since my wife and I changed my sons IEP, we haven't had any accidents or mishaps in over a week.  While I'm on the topic of IEPs, I would like to take this opportunity to spread the word to all who may have difficulty in dealing with your schools IEP for your children.

What To Do?

In my years as a father of a special needs child, I have only come across a few occasions where my love for my children has been spread rather thin.  I only have two boys so one might think that my task wouldn't be very hard to accomplish.  While my oldest son is my challenging special one, my younger one is more "normal" in nature.  Yes, I already know that once you have a member of the family labeled as different by a doctor, the whole family is considered different by association.  Anyway, my youngest son is to celebrate his 10th birthday tomorrow and what a day it will be.