Today was the first day of swim lessons for both kids. My Travis was a little scared and I forgot the "courage water". More about that in a sec, to distract him, I asked about the planets and solar system- his new favorite topic right now. He asked me if I could name the dwarf planets- I guessed Mercury and Mars- nope. I was firmly corrected by my 5 year old on what they were. I of course had to Google it to see if it was right. It was, of course, as always. Travis-1, Mom-0 :) He did calm down though. He told me a million other facts that of course I didn't know about our solar system as we parked in the pool parking lot.
Side note- trick I learned from Travis' therapist- Travis had pink eye and we have to do eye drops twice a day. Of course, he fought me the first morning, and I brought the drops to occupational therapy to see if he would let her do it. She is magic, I am convinced. He didn't want her to do the drops either, so she got him "courage water"! Just cold water from the water cooler and put in a cup (that he did not see) and told him it was courage water. He drank the water, and no problem, let her put the drops in!!!! We have used "courage water" ever since. We have a special cup and I just fill with super cold water.
So, I forgot the courage water. Luckily, there was a pair of shark goggles I could buy and called them super shark goggles that happened to match his favorite shark towel! The stars were aligned!
He went back with his teacher just fine to the pool by himself. After class, he said it was a bit scary, but I promised I would remember the courage water tomorrow. That child has taught me so much, we all need a little courage water sometimes :)
Until next time, take care of you and the ones you love.
You're a wonderful and inspirational mother. You have your own internal "courage water" that you draw on daily. I'll bet you didn't know that.
ReplyDeleteI love you more than you know.
Love,
Dad
You are so amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your support sweet family!
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree Mr. Artism (like that much better than "autism") has struggles just like all of us. And I completely agree we all need our own "courage water", which comes in many particularized forms depending on the individual who needs it. But lets not overlook the courage water Mommy Artism has quietly found over the past 5 years. I have watched Mommy Autism hurdle mountains to get him to the right classes, therapy,schools, the right food, etc. Because of Mommy Autism, there are very few differences between Mr. Artism and my 5 year old. Matter of fact my child is best friends with Mr. Artism and has hung out with him since they were too fat to sit up by themselves as infants. Here we are 5 years later. Never once has my 5 year old asked a single question about Mr. Artism's "differences." But if she did, my response would quite simply be that God created each and every one of us "different." God created Mr. Artism perfectly. God created Mr. Artism as a magical work of art. as he would never create anything less than perfect. Because of Mommy Artism's dedication, Mr. Artism is quite honestly hard to distinguish from any other child. I am still waiting for the question. it will be a very easy answer. He is Travis. He likes things a certain way; he likes a schedule; he hates getting dressed in the morning; fights with his brother, ,hates any food other than chicken nuggets, macaroni, oreos, starburst, yogurt, milk, french fries and cheetos puffs. So do my kids. The only noticeable "difference" is his ability to read better than most 10th graders do . If that is what defines "autism" and being "different" than God bless his soul and I hope all of her friends are "autistic". What mom wouldn't want to walk into a room to see Mr. Artism reading books to her child. Isn't that what we want for our children to teach them that different is perfection. Last time I checked "different" is what makes this world go around. And Mommy Artism deserves more credit than she offers her readers. She never once gave up on him, worked tirelessly without a paycheck or a prize or accolades to get Mr. artism where he is today and where he will end up in the future. I have watched her tireless work. I have watched her find her courage water without ever really asking for it. She keeps him on schedule and in school. She keeps him calm, knows him better than she knows herself and would do anything to help Mr. Artism succeed in life. And I have never ever once doubted that he would be successful. Both Mr. Artism and Mommy Artism are silent heroes to the many of us who have the pleasure of watching their hard work, dedication and "failure is not an option" attitude. Love you both Mr. Artism and Mommy Artism. Hugs from Nanna Lex.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your support Nanna Lex!! Growing up with you and your family have truly been a blessing!! I can not tell you how much I appreciate your kind words and compliments!! I've just driven Mr. Artism to therapy, he's done all the work :) Your little angels are so wonderful, they have never treated Travis any different, or have ever asked any questions about him. We look forward to sharing this journey in Artism land with you and yours!! Love and hugs to all! Mommy Artism :)
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