So here I am at 10PM on a school/ work night, folding the umpteenth load of laundry this week, & trying to figure out how many pairs of pants H has that currently fit him.
At least twice a year he gets stuck in between sizes when the smaller pants are just too short, & the next size pants nearly fall as he walks. Sometimes I find slim fits that hold him over for a few months, but I hesitate to buy too many because they will not fit him for very long.
But the backup pairs of pants are particularly inevitable during the school year, because the last thing a parent of a child with specials needs wants to be... is unprepared. Yes my child is 8 & yes I make sure that he has backup clothing at school-- including underwear, pants, & there is a spare shirt in his backpack every day as well.* He is sometimes just plain clumsy, or perhaps unable to communicate if he has a stomach ache, or as the Aide sometimes writes on the plastic bag: "bad aim". Whether he trips during recess, gets carried away washing his hands because he loves playing with water, or gets applesauce down his shirt because he is not paying attention, or like today when there is clearly something funky going on with his poor tummy... we are prepared to ensure Hayden is clean, comfortable, & presentable.
(*By the way I'm a tad sensitive about this kind of stuff, so just a side note... if you're not mature enough to handle this information, or it's the only thing you're going to take away from my blog because you're judgemental, then please do us both a favor & move on to the next one. Seriously, click the button at the top that says "Next Blog>>" )
For the rest of you who get my point about the pants, as you were...
So yes, I am counting pants & figuring out which ones should go back to school. But I soon realize there are definitely a pair or two missing. I check the washing machine & dryer once more, & then wonder if they're already in his closet. And because I am a crazy person & I simply can not let this go until the morning, I make the stupid decision to sneak into my peacefully sleeping son's room.
One thing you should know about H getting to the point that he is actually peacefully sleeping, is that prior to that we usually have the battle of the iPad. Trust me I could write a whole chapter on methods for correcting difficult behaviors, especially in children with special needs... yet we still have no shortage of these struggles.
One consistent part of our routine is giving him a 10 minute warning before lights must be completely out. Tonight was just like many other nights, & when those 10 minutes were up he was pretty angry. But also like many other nights, before long he was asleep anyway.
So, back to breaking & entering into the sleeping child's room...
By the glow of a nightlight I carefully open his closet & begin surveying the jeans situation. I suddenly hear H take a short breath & realize I startled him.
Aside from the cursing rant in my own head because he was definitely in a deep sleep just seconds ago, I start to say, "Ssh, it's Ok-" but before I can even get the words out...
Hayden sits up, forcefully throws his right arm in the air, points towards the door with an open hand, & exclaims, "ten minutes!"
Poor kid. Even in his sleep he is thinking of that damn iPad.
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