This is Part 2…
Last week I shared when my son, Tristan, pulled the fire alarm at school.
I was so embarrassed! Let me continue the rest of the story…
After I crawled out from under the rock and got my thoughts together I desperately wanted to know if this was going to happen again. I knew I had to know more about Tristan’s reaction. I waited to hear from the school. A few weeks went by… and I heard NOTHING regarding Tristan pulling the fire alarm.
I have met people over the years that have experienced this story. If you are reading this at this applies to you, feel free to leave a comment below. You may add a detail that I didn’t know about.
The other week I dropped Tristan off at his group home. I chatted with one of his group home staff, Benny. I told him Tristan had a great weekend. I asked how Tristan has been for him. He filled me in on one of Tristan’s antics.
Benny said, “I went into the bathroom one day and there were 3 lightbulbs sitting on the bathroom sink counter!”
I chuckled as he said this. That is definitely a Tristan thing. Over the years, Tristan has been fixated with light bulbs at home. This is a phase that comes and goes. Apparently, it is back!
This conversation made me think of some of the other light bulb stories tucked in the back of my mind.
At one point he wouldn’t stop unscrewing the lightbulbs in his bedroom ceiling light fixture. I actually had to tell a new respite worker, “When it gets dark outside Tristan’s room will be dark because he has lost the privilege of having light bulbs.” I thought to myself “Who say’s that?” (Parents like me who work 24/7 to keep their special need child safe!)
Thankfully, the worker said “I understand and I don’t judge.” Inside I was thinkging. Whew! And a quick arrow prayer: Thank you Jesus.
For a period of time….
He would unscrew the light bulbs from the front and back porch lights. We would wait until he was sleeping and the we would put a light bulb back into the socket. Then in a day or two the light bulb would be gone! When we looked over the porch railing we would find it on the ground. Broke from the fall into the mulch, but not shattered. After replacing the porch lights a couple of dozen times with no further success, we gave up. He won!
We finally had to tell visitors ” Wait there’s no porch light” and quickly install a lightbulb. If company was on the way we would install a light bulb 5 minutes before the arrival time. Seriously I am not making this up.
I wish I could ask Tristan “why?” Instead I am left wondering what is his hidden message. We know he does a lot of things for attention. Does he do this to say “Look you didn’t pay attention to me for 3 minutes so this is what I can do?” Or is trying to complete his own personal challenge like “Let’s see if I can do this before someone catches me.” Sometimes, I like to believe these are little love notes that he leaves. Like “Hey I’m thinking of you and I want you to know it.”
Like I often say to him, “Tristan when we get to heaven I have a lot of questions for you.”
I hope you enjoyed another healthy dose of laughter from our home!
When I was going through photos I saw one photo and knew I had to share!
Almost every weekend when Tristan is home from his residential school he wakes up in the middle of the night. This happens 99% of the time. The ritual unfolds like this…He comes into our room to make his one word request-always a food item. Then, one of us gets out of bed. Off to the kitchen we go. We gladly help because of safety concerns.
About a year ago both Brian and I woke up on a Sunday morning. I asked him if he got up with Tristan. He replied, “No.” Then he asked me if I got up with him. I answered, “No and I feel great. That means we all slept through the night.” Tristan was still sleeping. Hip Hip Hooray! He slept through the night!
In these cold winter months, our activities are limited when Tristan is home on the weekends. We have discovered taking him to the movie theatre is enjoyable for the three of us. We pick kids movies with songs. Even so, we know he is only paying attention to portions of the movie and that is fine. We know his ultimate goal is to empty the popcorn tub and consume his pop! We have begun requesting smaller portions to out smart him. One thing never fails, Continue reading
April is Autism Awareness Month. I do have a story to share.
A few years ago my older son asked me for some money for school. His school was collecting money for Autism Awareness Month. The conversation went something like this…
Jacob: Mom can I have some money for Autism Awareness fundraiser.
Mom: No you may not. If you want Autism Awareness bring your brother to school with you! People will be very aware of autism!!! They will see first hand it is a communication and social impairment.
I thought my answer seemed logical and funny. However, my son did not think so!
Enjoy another healthy dose of laughter!
Despite our family crisis with Tristan’s care, our home is still quite lively. It is interesting to hear the comments from our teenager’s. Here’s a snapshot of some recent conversations.
