Doctors, Specialists and Therapy..... OH MY!

Wow who knew a 2 hour apt could bring you such relief and so many answers. Yesterday ECI came for an appointment to meet with Chris and I. The specifics of it was to figure out what services we would need, what the target areas are that H needs help with and to answer all of our questions.

Our meeting was at 2pm at our houses without H. We discussed the target areas that needed to be addressed and any other new worries or concerns. They had about 3 pages worth of items that needed to be addressed. Speech of course being one, transitioning, controlling temper and aggression and some other social emotional and gross motor skills. We are thrilled that his therapy will start next Tuesday morning at 9am! We will get speech from them two times a month and one other therapy I can't recall also plus they will give us some counseling to help us cope and take care of H when he has these melt downs. This is a huge relief to us.

H will be adding a new doctor to his list. We will meet with a pediatric specialist that will detect exactly what is going on and how he falls on the spectrum. This doctor, of course does not have a practice in Abilene so that means ROADTRIP! This doctor is in Lubbock so next week we will get the paperwork put together to submit a referral so we can get an apt. Once we get this appointment she will do a test called the MCHAT. This test will tell us exactly what we need to know. She is one of the only ones who will do this test under that age of 4, I believe. So now we have an ENT, Pulminologist and now the pediatric behavioral specialist.

Since all of this we have talked about switching where H would go to school. We have been looking into the best possible situation and environment that would be suitable to his needs. After our experience with home care last week and his jealousy towards the baby and him biting a child I decided this was not going to be suitable. It's not fair to put him or the provider in this situation. Obviously Chris and I can not afford a nanny or for me to stay home so  the only options I could think of were to leave him at the CDC and pray that ECI and WTRH have magic and he wont get any worse and he would improve or taking him back to a downtown facility that has a high tolerance for aggression. I'll be honest I don't want to take him off base to a downtown facility because the level and quality is not the same. I have done some research and investigating and realized there was a possibility that he could qualify for Early Head Start. This is the cream of the crop, top notch child care.

After a long discussion with our ECI and them telling us H qualifies for their services it was like the heavens opened and angels sang! I was thrilled to know that my son was possibly about to get his amazing opportunity with an abundance of resources to help him. For those not familiar with EHS, it is for children birth to 3 years of age. A teacher is given 4 children and those 4 children stay with this teacher until they age out of the program. ECI and WTRH will be able to help him along with other resources the school provides.  They have parent education classes that can help Chris and I with things we might need to focus on.  Oh did I mention this is a federally funded program so services for us would be free! To qualify you have to either have a child with disabilities, be in poverty or be a teen parent. They are submitting H's file to EHS and next week we will submit the paperwork to be put on the waiting list.  We have been informed there is a small waiting list but fingers crossed we don't wait long!

When H turns 2 we will begin the transition out of ECI. At about 30 months we will meet with the school district to see what services he will still qualify for. He would be eligible to attend and get services from Locus Head Start, which would be pre-k. Again this is amazing because this would be such an amazing opportunity for him because this is going to help him transition into kindergarten. If we continue to reside in Abilene he would attend Dyess Elem which is an amazing public elementary school! Of course when we do move back to Dallas all of these services will still be available to H but the EHS and HS programs are very limited. I do hold hope that he will be able to attend those programs when we go back to Dallas.

While Monday did get off to a rough start the rest of the week for H has been smooth sailing! We have learned to celebrate the small things and when we hear that he has not hurt any children we get super excited. When we can go somewhere and he behaves so well, again we get very excited. I know we are corny but still. He loves it when we praise him so as often as we can we do it.

This weekend we are heading to Dallas for the NICU reunion at Medical City. I am so excited to see our old doctors and nurses as well as the friends we made! We have found pictures from when he was in the NICU so we can show off just how far he has come. Sunday we will celebrate Hannah's birthday. I know it's not until July but with summer coming up and them being out here it makes the most sense to do it now so all her friends and family can be there. I am so excited to spend some time with my babies. School is almost out for them and in just a few weeks they will be hanging out here with us for the summer. Of course we plan to make this special and fun filled.

Sean did his first musical for his middle school this past week. He said he really enjoyed it. I am so excited that he had fun with this. This summer he will be doing basketball. He has talked about basketball off and on for a while so his stepmom and dad decided to sign him up. I hope he enjoys it and finds something fun to add to his activities. While the girls are out here I am going to see about putting them in gymnastics or something along those lines. They will be at the Youth Center when I work so maybe they will have some activities for them to get involved in and help them make some more friends.

Well it's off to go see what H has gotten into. He is just a ball of energy lately and so curious about everything he can get his little hands on. Thanks for checking our update. I always appreciate when people care enough to read how things are going. I do not write these for pitty or to make people feel sorry for us. I am not wanting to burden or stress people with things. I simply post these to update people at one time and to have an outlet to the ongoings in our life. So we appreciate those who have offered encouraging words and support and truly care about what is going on. You guys mean the world to us!

We really need to get this kid a jungle gym so he quits climbing the couch.  The ugly loaner couch at that!

Helping daddy carry his gear at the Potosi VFD! I think that hat weighs as much as him!

Weekend Revelations

Last night I laid awake in bed struggling to fall asleep. Maybe it was because this sweet little boy was having a rough night with his asthma and or it was because a lot of things suddenly plagued my mind. Regardless I sat there for over an hour thinking about how much has changed some for the better and some for the worst.

I recall about this time a year ago I was giving up hope of fitting in here and finding normalcy. I had a job that was decent at best but really had not met anyone I would have called a friend well there were two people I would call friends but otherwise it was just a job to me.  Chris was starting the process of getting out of the Air Force, which to me meant why bother making friends we are busting out of this joint! The only other person I hung out with was on the verge of moving away because her and her husband were going to split up. I hated this loneliness I hated that I had no one to hang out with and confide in.

About a year ago I stumbled across a spouse page for the Dyess folks. Of course I would only stumble across this as our attachment with the military would come to a close and we might not even be here in a few months. Within a few days I started finding some wonderful gals to chat with. I finally started to feel more at home here. About a month later we would have a ladies night at my house where I would meet some ladies that would become so dear to me. Well or so I had thought. After that night I was on a roll with meeting some wonderful ladies. I actually grew excited about being here and having some people to spend time with. I wasn't the outsider looking in.

About a month after that around July, it was time to start talking about moving back to the big D. The thought suddenly became so sad to me. I had just finally settled in and now it was time to go. We talked to our Realtor back in Dallas about finding a place to live. We started talking to Brookhaven College about starting courses in the fall. I was trying to find a job that I would be happy with. Maybe it was fate maybe it was coincidence that none of that worked out. I was so ready to be home with my babies and pick up where we had left off but at that time it was not going to work out. While we would have the money from Chris getting out of the military we couldn't bank on having something before that money was gone. So we decided to play it safe and continue to reside in Abilene till we had for sure concrete things ironed out in Dallas.

From that point on I continued to form bonds with so many ladies. Some became as close as family to us. We spend holidays together and spent most of our free time together. I was so happy. I was getting involved with the community. I had been given so many opportunities to help those in the are and the AF community who really needed it. It made me feel good. I never did any of it with the thought of how would I be repaid for my generosity or what is in this for me. My friends joked I would spread myself to thing but by the fall I was a SAHM so I figured there had to be a good way to invest my time and this was how I would do it. As I met more and more people, I had more and more opportunities to help others around me. I have been given some very special friends one who in on the UNOS list for two lungs, at least 4 that are T1 and working hard to get services dogs who will help them, a friend who sadly lost her child in a horrible accident a year ago today due to a drunk driver. I have found ways to help and do my part to let them know I care.

Fast forward now to the first of the year and suddenly from what seems to be the drop of the hat these people I had once grown to start calling family starting to fade out just like they had faded in. Some due to stupid falling outs that looking back I am not sure what even caused it, some because of difference of opinions over petty situations that really should have been no big deal, a few that vanished out and I am not sure why but none the less it makes me sad. Its like its own version of natural selection, survival of the fittest I suppose. The ones that are here are the ones who have hung tough, stuck it out thick and thin and known even when I haven't been able to give all my time and attention to them they know I am still someone they can count on.

Out of all the friends I have lost the one that have simply vanished out of my life for no reason are the ones that hurt the most. The ones I was sure of we had such a bond and connection with whom now I no longer speak with or hear from. Those really hurt. Maybe its just due to life and not that I did something wrong. I just get so paranoid and worried that maybe I did something but I hate living my life like that. I refuse to now beat myself up over things that I have no control over.

Life has handed me a new curve ball. This time I don't have time to sit and wonder if some one likes me or dislikes me for who I am and the things I do. My main focus now is my family. Things have taken such a big change in the course of month that my efforts now are to focus on how to make things flow as smoothly as possible. A month from now our house will be full. 4 wonderful children will be running through this house keeping our days full and busy. I am so excited about it. I miss my kids and its quiet and lonely when they are not here. When they get here I will be so happy and at peace with things. Regardless of what has been given to us like is going to move on and we are going to be the happy family we always have been.

With that I am going to end this now. I have said how I feel and what it all means to me. I am thankful for those in my life who have stuck it out even when times have gotten tough. Those are the true people you want in your life. No one wants a fair weather friend, a person who is no where to be found when life gets ugly. I would rather have just a few close friends I can count on then an over abundance of friends who are only around when the times are good. So to those of you who are still around, thank you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your love and friendship mean so much to me. I cherish what we have and hope we always have that.

Picture post!

Zoning out on our car ride home from Walmart. 

When all else fails just let him get out and help. It makes the trip more bearable!

This is what happens when you go on a naptime standoff! Maybe now he will learn his lesson!

I can't wait to hang this up. What a wonderful gift.

The beautiful flowers from the girls and the card with a darling picture from Sean.

H and I made some great treats for teacher appreciation! 

This is what happens when I turn my back to cook! I later found a bunch of toilet paper inside the dog kennel!

H loves to go to the firehouse and help out his daddy. 

3-in-1, lots to talk about

Since Wednesday I have been meaning to update but between 3 finals, work, ECI and a sick kiddo that has been sort of on the back burner. So pardon the long post as it will cover things that have gone on the last few days!

Wednesday
Not to much to actually report. H had a great day at school! No bites, no attempts just an over all really good day. It gave me some hope actually that maybe this phase of aggression was coming to an end. Since I had exams and he was having such a great day I was going to leave him at school so I could go home and review for my exams.
I got a call from a friend in need of some help with her home day care so I agreed to help but this of course meant needing to bring H with me. I figured hey he is having such a great day maybe I have nothing to worry about right?!
I got to my friends house got things settled and H seems to be having fun with the other children. I started to think maybe the smaller group setting is just what he needed. He wasn't clinging to me he was playing with the toys, sitting with the kids eating snack and just having a good time. I thought I was in the clear actually all had gone so well. Then of course one of my biggest fears lately happened. I was talking to my friend who had just come home and we heard one of the little girls start to cry. We stopped looked up and she was saying bite, bite bite. Dang! H had bitten her and bitten her hard!! I was so upset I was mortified! Its one thing to bite a kid in his class ( yes I know its not ok at all but it happens) but it was quiet another to bite a perfect stranger! She assured me it would be ok but I still felt horrible.
I had my final exams and I knew I was not as prepared as I could have been. I really busted my butt but in my Culture class I made a 66 on the exam. I was honestly devastated but I ended up with a B in the class for the entire semester! I made a 86 ( awaiting to see if there was a curve) on my Guidance exam and still awaiting my grade for School age. I am just hoping to have B's if not at least one A over all in one of the classes! School is out until the fall and I get brave enough to take 12 hours in the fall.

Thursday
The big day we had been waiting for.  H had a rough day. He bit outside which he never does. Usually when he is outside he doesn't bother anyone and does his own thing. I like to spy on him when I am on break and sadly witnessed him bit a child for no reason. It broke my heart. The teacher told me that was the 5th one! That day he ended up biting 7 times. He also only took a 40 min nap which is highly unusual for him!
ECI was at 3pm and it went well. it lasted about 2 hours and we learned a lot. H is super smart, I know he is smart, but I mean much smarter than I give him credit for! But given what we discussed and they observed we qualify for the services. He is delayed in each area, which I was surprised by, but at the same time makes sense. We will meet again next week to set up a plan of action for H, start the process of getting him on medicaid, and figuring out where on the spectrum he falls on.
All the services will be free. We are excited to have a team that seems really helpful and very into our son.  They have started the transition paper work for the school system also. At the age of 2 they do this because after the age of 3 the children no longer qualify and will get assistance through the school district. They will also be working with our pediatrician, ENT, Pulminologist, WTRH, and the teachers and trainers at the CDC. Having everyone on the same page will be a huge help.
When I came home that evening I had a wonderful surprise on my front porch. IT was a raspberry cheesecake! One of my friends had made it from scratch, left a card asking if we would like him to prepare a meal for Mother's Day! He is a fantastic cook so I told Chris we have dinner covered on Sunday! It really made my day. I also got a wonderful card from Sean, and flowers (Tulips) from the girls. It was the much needed smile I needed for the day.
I think Chris and I are peace with what they told us today. We are getting answers that we need and the help H needs. It is frustrating at the same time but we will figure it out. I know boys are active and are generally more of a handful. I assume some think I have blown his problems out of proportion, or maybe I have let my knowledge of being a teacher get the better of me. I wouldn't be anything I would wish on anyone who has children. I honestly never thought of myself as a parent or a person who could handle a child who was not typical. When the 4 ladies at ECI, who had observed him, told me he needed help it was a rush of mixed emotions. I wanted to be wrong and think I was just some crazy over worried parent.
I should not care or let people get to me. I should not care that they think my kid is a spoiled brat when he is throwing a fit in public. I shouldn't get irritated when people tell me that a good ole fashion spanking will make him stop. I shouldn't let it get to me that some people just do not get it and while, what is wrong with him is not obvious and something you notice upon meeting him, that people just might not understand. This is something I am going to work real hard on.

Friday-
Poor H! It was a rough day for him. He woke up covered in blood and really having a hard time breathing. Since I work at 6am I had no idea anything was wrong when I left. I got a call around 7:45 at work stating something was wrong with him from Chris and that he was going to bring him to me to see what was going on. Around 8 Chris showed up with a very miserable, very unhappy baby. Thankfully the trainer saw how bad off he looked and agreed to let me leave to take him to be seen.
In the matter of two hours he needed two breathing treatments and his inhaler. He has been doing so well but with his sinus infection he had I had a feeling he was bound for illness. He has an infection in his lungs we found out and will be on meds for about 10 days. We also switched his asthma meds to something more affordable.
H was on another naptime standoff yesterday! 40 minutes!!! He normally will last at least 2 hours but today just like the day before he only slept 40 minutes. I am hoping this is not a new trend for us. About 6pm yesterday when we all went out to go pick up meds and run to the other side of town he crashed out in the car for about an hour. Go figure right!
It was so nice to have a unplanned family day. I was suppose to go back to work but since so many kids where out that day I got to stay home with my family. We had lunch together, we all napped and cleaned the house. It sure was nice to spend time together.  Our neighbor, Joe, took care of dinner for us last night which was a nice surprise also!

This weekend should be pretty fun. We have a few things planned that hopefully we will be able to enjoy. I am sure I will update again before the weekend is over!

Do's and Don'ts

Last night wasn't so bad. Not exactly how I pictured the evening to take place but then again when does that ever happen? It wasn't so bad of course we did end up leaving before dinner was served but it's ok we still had a good time.
Do make sure you are fully aware of the type of party you will be attending and make sure to dress accordingly
Don't wear a skirt and tank top when going to a large field to shoot guns

Do make sure you have the proper ear protection
Don't count on H wearing it!

Do be prepared to sit in the truck while everyone enjoys shooting stuff
Don't blame H for not wanting to wear protection, can you blame him!

Do make sure the car is on so that air can properly circulate
Don't answer your phone while your child is sitting in the driver seat. He might just try to put the car in drive!

Do encourage your child to play and mingle even with the 4 legged friends
Don't let him chase and corner the poor 4 legged friend

Do take time to enjoy the big outdoor fire pit
Don't however do that with H he does not share our same enthusiasm for it

And of course last but certainly not least
 Do take H's cues and follow his lead
Don't let the comments and looks from others get you down

It was a good night. I met TJ, the Navy recruiter that has been helping Chris become military again. Today I have a ton to accomplish and some of it won't be easy. Every day things seem to be taking a different direction for our family so each day we do what we can to adjust accordingly. We just ask that everyone keep us in your thoughts as we embark on some of these events. Some of this has to do with H and some of this has to do with our family in general.

An update from yesterday. I spoke with the lady who is a behavioral therapist. It was a remarkable 45 min conversation about what is going on. She sadly does not take Tricare but does do private pay. Sadly private pay is 75.00 and hour. She is helping me find some grants, she is contacting another behavioral therapist that just got certified to see if she will be taking our ins. She has given some great advice and has agreed that if nothing pans out for now she will take us on until WTRH or ECI can help us. She agrees with me on the FCC provider and probably not a good option for H because even if ratios are smaller there is a huge age range in children and he might not do well with really little ones with his aggression. We also think having only one teacher as opposed to two will make it harder to catch him when he needs some help etc. I am glad she came in contact with us because she seems like such an awesome caring lady. Maybe soon we will have Tricare back and this won't be an issue. 

H has really taken to his safe place. He retreats there when he just needs some down time

The weighted dolphin. It really has started helping calming him at bed time and keeps him from tossing about.

A good time

Lately in our house having a good time can often come at a price. We know that if we want to or I want to go out there is a cute little man about waist high that might not share in our good time. Last night though with a little tag teaming effort it wasn't so bad. Learning a few tips and tricks makes going out a bit more bearable!

I could have not been more thrilled that it was Friday yesterday. This week has really been trying. So when they said I could leave an hour early I didn't bat an eye I gathered up my stuff and H and we made a bee line for the door! Thursday was a horrible day for him so to I figure this could be sort of like making it up to him. Thursday left me in tears and down right angry. Not angry at anyone in particular but just angry. By the time I picked him up he had attempted, and achieved biting not only on his peers but himself. After a 30 minute impromptu meeting with one of the trainers, a 20 minute fit and a plastic bag we where good to go. 

This plastic bag must contain some sort of magical powers because once his trains were placed in it, it was like a whole new day for him. The trainer handed him this plastic Walmart bag he placed his trains in it loaded it up on his arm and out of the building we went. That magical bag helped us take a trip to the grocery store! He clung to it talked to it and took his trains in and out of it. It wasn't until I was paying that he noticed what was going on. Unfortunately we had the sweetest bag boy who was only doing his job and H refused to let him do it. This boy was special needs and was doing what he was trained to do, put the shopping bags back in the shopping cart. I suppose he never really sees anyone bring in a plastic bag so it threw the kid off a bit when he saw H clinging to this bag. There was some confusion, a bit of shrieking ( From H) and a near bit on this poor kids hand. I explained it was his and that his toys where in there all seemed ok until we got to the door and the kid pawned us off on the other bag boy coming in. Guess he had, had just about enough of us!

Anyways back to Friday. We came home and decided to give running errands a try with two parents as opposed to one. The BX was rather uneventful we where in and out because they didn't have what we needed but thank you to the man that was vacuuming I was able to pick out two outfits for him and a pair of PJ's with out him wanting to take everything off the rack. We made a couple of more stops each one lasting a little bit longer. We stopped at a shoe store because Chris needs new running shoes it was rather uneventful till we came across some boys who parents left them at the basketball hoop while the shopped and while I would do the same thing I just sort of cringed. One boy about his age had these two guns. I saw H's eyes light up and I kept a good eye. The boy sweetly offered up one of the guns to H and he took it. The little boy suddenly bolted off and so did another boy who appeared to be slightly older and then of course H joined in. OY! The ran around a couple of shelves thankfully near the back of the store where no one was but I could see that look in H's eyes that this was going to go south quick! The guns got dropped they tried to climb this basketball game and then it happened. The owner of these toy guns made the attempt to pick up his guns at the same time H was making a grab for the one he was playing with. I suddenly envisioned shrieking, screaming and of course pinching or biting. I sort of squinted my eyes for a second and  slowly peeked only to see that H had handed the gun back to the boy who was now happily walking back to his mom. I just sort of smiled. Biting his friends at school I can handle biting a perfect stranger in public not sure I was ready for that one. We of course praised him and left the store. 

Chris and I at some point decided that him toting this plastic bag with him all over was going to get old so we had been on the search for a cut kid size back pack that would not be so big he could fit in it but not so small that not everything would hold. Finally Walmart came to the rescue and we found him a back pack to hold all his trains and his favorite book. He is in love with it. It has Cars on it so all we hear now is Ca, Ca Ca, Ca! He handled Walmart pretty well we took his cues of getting antsy, grabbing at the belt and his back arching as its time to go home. Having an extra set of hands to help made it easy. I ended the evening smiling. It was this smile that I knew my body had not felt in a while and it just made me feel good. 

I do have some updates. ECI has still not been in touch with us. I am following up again with them on Monday. West Texas Rehab can not see H until June 25th so we have a ways for that. There was a lady on FB who read our blog who is in Abilene that specializes in PDD-NOS and Sensory issues so I am going to give her a call today and see what we can work out. Sadly her company does not take our ins so we will see about starting some sessions up with her until we can be seen by WTRH and ECI. We are on the fence about using a  FCC provider (Family Child Care) as opposed to the CDC.  We know small groups and minimal transitions is what he needs but there are other factors that leave us hesitant on using one. I am making that call on Monday as well to see what special arrangement's can be made etc. We are also trying out something the trainers think might be helpful and that is a weighted stuffed animal that goes on his body. IT usually is placed on their shoulders or back but he likes it on his stomach when he is laying in bed. We are slowly integrating it in to our tips and tricks so we shall see if this works. 

Of course I must share news about my other kiddos! Sean is going to be in a musical at his school. He seems pretty excited about it and we are thrilled to see him finally passionate about something. I wish I could be there to see him perform but I am pretty sure I can count on Myranda for some pictures and video! Hannah's cast is coming off Monday! Thank goodness it will be off in time for her party in a few weeks. Ella completed testing at school this week and is ready for the summer. Heck they all are as am I! I am so excited to have them come out here. 

 We just had to have the PJ's with cars and trucks on them!

He is very proud of his new bag!

Not so judgmental

At some point in our life we have sat back and judged people around us for the way they do anything from keeping their home clean to how they dress and the ever popular how they raise their kids. Of course from an outsiders perspective it is easy to make a snap judgement on a situation we may actually know nothing about. I admit that has been me before. Its easy to pass judgement on a situation that looks so absurd to us. The last few weeks more and more I realize how horrible it feels to be judged when those around you have no idea what is really going on.  

Recently we noticed some problems that we could not longer avoid. For those that just recently saw us at Ella's party you are aware of the signs we could not longer avoid. It wasn't that I was in denial or that I was afraid to hear the truth it was just that I am a teacher, I am on top of things, and these things do not happen to us. With talking to his teacher, the trainers at his school and my sisters I knew the steps I needed to take because it was what I needed to do not only to help him but to also gain some piece of mind for all of us. 

Backing up a bit for those who might be confused or just have no idea what is going on. Around H's 1st birthday I realized that child could through a fit like no ones business! Usually with those fits there was no real ability to console him we just had to let it ride out. He was not ever a fan of lots of people especially in close proximity to him. Certain sounds he could tolerate but the higher the frequency the more anxious and unglued he would become. The last month or so his ability to be in the light bothers him. He hides his eyes when the lights in the room are to bright or when the sun is out. The behaviors that really had concerned us though was his aggression not only to his peers but himself. He has been biting more and more sometimes it is provoked sometimes its just at random. There are times he will start to laugh after he causes hurt to his peers. This has really upset us. He also has started to bite himself, pull his hair out and when he gets mad enough throw toys or items across the room and empty table in shelves.

After the break down that he had at Ella's party we decided that it was time to take the next step and figure out what was going on. I spoke with his teacher and the trainers and in the interim while trying to get him help we would be detectives and see what did and did not work. We would chart his biting and just see what triggers caused certain behaviors. We met with his pedi who agreed that we would start occupational therapy and speech therapy at West Texas Rehab. She also stated that when we came back for his 2 yr check up if we had not seen any improvement we would get set up with a behavioral therapist. Upon discussing this info with the trainers at H's school we agreed calling ECI ( Early Childhood Intervention) and get an evaluation and hopefully therapy with them also. 

With all this I am sure you are now wondering what all this means. What we are looking at is PDD ( Pervasive Developmental Disorder), Sensory Processing/Integration Disorder and the possibility of Aspergers. Until we start our official treatment his teachers will continue to document behaviors and report back to us daily on events, keep things very routine and consistent, avoid large outings, most importantly following his cues. Today to prevent further issues with the hair pulling we gave him a hair cut just like his daddy. We limit outings to one major one daily. School is usually our major outing. Depending on how the evening plays out we might get a dinner out or a run to a store. Today however I pushed it and ended up power walking up and down the isles at Albertson's with a child who was completely over it. I am just glad I didn't opt to go to Walmart!

Looking back I used to make a snide comment under my breath or to whom ever I was with when I saw a child becoming unglued in public. I used to think " Geez what kind of parent are they to let their child behave like this!" I know now that maybe that parent is dealing with the same things we are. Our child is not spoiled or in control of us. He is a child who is trying to figure out what the world around him means and that when he has had enough he can not tell us so he has to do what he knows best and that is just becoming unglued.  Of course this is not an excuse for his behavior but a simple insight for those who make the looks, the comments, the glares to think twice. Sometimes it is not always what it seems and that we should not always be so quick to pass judgement until we full know that person's situation. Walk a mile in their shoes and maybe one day you will understand.