Español
or
Navigate Life Texas: Resources for kids with disabilities and special needs
Navigate Life Texas: Resources for kids with disabilities and special needs
I have realized as a mother that I seldom get any alone time. Being a mother of a child with autism, I think I get less alone time than a parent of a typically developing child, although this theory may be untrue.
I know that even when our 20-year-old son is home, I still have knocks on the bathroom door and a child asking questions. Does anyone else feel that maybe, just maybe, these questions could possibly wait 5 more minutes until we get out of the bathroom?
Our 15-year-old son with autism seemed frantic this weekend, repeatedly asking his father, "Where's mommy?" about 20 times. I had just simply slipped into the bedroom to sweep and mop and had casually closed the door to do a thorough job. I had to laugh as I heard my husband declaring, "This house isn't that big, she has to be somewhere." I must admit I was so tempted to hide under the bed to see how long it would take before someone found me.
The same holds true while taking a shower, or the rare occasion that mommy has the nerve to take a 15-minute bath rather than the usual 5-minute shower. My dear, sweet, child notices I am missing in action. That's when the banging on the door begins. "Mommy, get out. Mommy, get out of there. I need you to get out NOW!" My child doesn't do this to my husband, so I guess I should feel honored and needed that he loves me so much that he wants my attention always.
Our latest trend is even if I need to run to the grocery store, I face the multitude of questions. "Mom, mom, mom, where are you going?" My son doesn't ask my husband this same question 20 times upon departure. Don't get me wrong, I love my children, I love spending time with them, BUT I just want 5 minutes of peace every once in a while, for the simple things in life. Things like going to the bathroom, taking my 5-minute shower, or 5 minutes to sweep the floor in peace.
Even though I have this 15-year-old who wants to be around me and know what I am doing at all times, which may be annoying, as I sit back and reflect I have realized I should be grateful. Grateful that he is verbal, happy that he loves me, and wants to know where I am and yes, that he even keeps tabs on me while I am in the bathroom.
Because if I did fall and couldn't get up, someone would know where I was!
Visit the Family Support section of the site and Connecting with Other Parents to find ways to find solutions and share ideas.
Getting sick is not something we can plan. It generally sneaks in the back door unannounced and leaves havoc and chaos in its path—along with piles of dirty laundry.
Keeping your child safe in the bathroom can have its challenges. Here are some tips to help parents make a safer environment.
In this article, a mom discusses segregation within the disability community. She also pleas with readers to stop segregating others with different disabilities.