It is the classic question. I have not asked it many times in my short life but sometimes it just seems like I can't get away from it. I have read all of your blogs. So sweet and full of nice sentiments about your families and life. Kristen talks about the priesthood, Brooke about her love of baking and pumpkin, Katie talks about how much she loves her little girl (and the wolves). What is wrong with me? I feel like I am consistently negative. Sure sometimes I can laugh, but sometimes I am just depressed. It has been a rotten week. The only good part about it in fact is that it has been so bad that now I have no reservation in sending Luke to school and Evie to preschool. When I talk about what has happened I always think back and say "Well that wasn't so bad, those were just a few little moments in a long week." But it doesn't help. I love my children and every time I hold them I love them like I might never get to hold them again. At the same time I don't think I was cut out to be their mother. I really believe I might need to be institutionalized. On that note I will embrace, reluctantly, that my life will never be like yours.
On Monday I went to Sam's Club to pick up a few things. I took all three kids, which I try to avoid at all cost. The first time Luke went missing, It didn't even faze me. I looked for 15 minutes before I finally went to Customer Service for help. "CODE ADAM" they announced over the intercom and all the employees went running around looking for my little boy. It was embarrassing and I have thick skin. When Luke went missing the second time in the same trip to the store I was bound and determined not to ask for help. I looked and looked. He was nowhere. Finally one of the associates saw me without him and asked "Is he missing again?" She helped me look and the search got wider with more people involved. We checked the bathrooms, the closets, the back rooms, everywhere. Half and hour later there was still no Luke. I was in tears and truth be known (this was a scary realization of how desensitized I am) I was not crying because I was worried about my son, I was crying because I was so dang mortified and hated the looks people were giving me, the mother, who lost her son....Twice. The whole store went out on a search, as everything had already been checked multiple times to no avail. Finally I hear "What is that child doing up there?" Luke had climbed up to the top shelf, up to a play set on display and had disappeared in side. "I was hiding from you mom!" Was all he said. I put a dog leash on around his waist and listened to him scream the rest of the way out of the store. (He sounded a little like golam when Sam puts the rope around his neck) He had been hiding from me about 40 feet off the floor. Nice.
The rest of the week had it's normal ups and downs. As part of our nightly ritual Luke grabs a flashlight and heads out to the chicken coop to say goodnight to the chickens. He must climb inside the coop to do this because he likes to rock each one and sing them "Rock-abye-baby". After about 10 minutes I was tired of waiting and took Evie inside. I sent Andy outside a little while later to check on him. He was screaming on the ground. Apparently he had fallen out of the chicken coop and scratched his cornea. His eye has been swollen shut for several days now.
Yesterday was the kicker. We went to Swiss days up in Heber. Last year we lost him twice, so this year we made him wear his dog leash. He hated it and fought and screamed, learned how to get it off and would run. I decided to put it on his shirt tag and tie him to the tree for a bit so I could eat. (How inhumane!) He just ripped his tag out of his shirt. I was tired by the end of the day. We left early, stopping at the port-a-potties on the way out. Luke went in a stall and I went in one. When I came out Andy still hadn't seen Luke. I banged on the door, no answer. I was sure it was him so I tried to jimmy the door open. The maintenance guy said jokingly. "Hope he didn't fall in!" I opened the door to find two feet sticking out of the toilet hole. Luke had been reaching in to grab the poops and put them in the urinal. Why? We still don't know. I remember thinking "I wish I had my camera, this would have made a great picture for my blog." Andy was worried he could have drowned. I was not so concerned, it wasn't too deep he would have just had a nice swim and we would have come in to find his head and not his feet sticking through the toilet hole. At this point I just gave up. Why even bother trying to live a normal life anymore?
Andy said as soon as we got to the car. "If I hadn't just pulled my son out of a toilet I might have considered having another baby." We'll see. Pray for my sanity please.
On Monday I went to Sam's Club to pick up a few things. I took all three kids, which I try to avoid at all cost. The first time Luke went missing, It didn't even faze me. I looked for 15 minutes before I finally went to Customer Service for help. "CODE ADAM" they announced over the intercom and all the employees went running around looking for my little boy. It was embarrassing and I have thick skin. When Luke went missing the second time in the same trip to the store I was bound and determined not to ask for help. I looked and looked. He was nowhere. Finally one of the associates saw me without him and asked "Is he missing again?" She helped me look and the search got wider with more people involved. We checked the bathrooms, the closets, the back rooms, everywhere. Half and hour later there was still no Luke. I was in tears and truth be known (this was a scary realization of how desensitized I am) I was not crying because I was worried about my son, I was crying because I was so dang mortified and hated the looks people were giving me, the mother, who lost her son....Twice. The whole store went out on a search, as everything had already been checked multiple times to no avail. Finally I hear "What is that child doing up there?" Luke had climbed up to the top shelf, up to a play set on display and had disappeared in side. "I was hiding from you mom!" Was all he said. I put a dog leash on around his waist and listened to him scream the rest of the way out of the store. (He sounded a little like golam when Sam puts the rope around his neck) He had been hiding from me about 40 feet off the floor. Nice.
The rest of the week had it's normal ups and downs. As part of our nightly ritual Luke grabs a flashlight and heads out to the chicken coop to say goodnight to the chickens. He must climb inside the coop to do this because he likes to rock each one and sing them "Rock-abye-baby". After about 10 minutes I was tired of waiting and took Evie inside. I sent Andy outside a little while later to check on him. He was screaming on the ground. Apparently he had fallen out of the chicken coop and scratched his cornea. His eye has been swollen shut for several days now.
Yesterday was the kicker. We went to Swiss days up in Heber. Last year we lost him twice, so this year we made him wear his dog leash. He hated it and fought and screamed, learned how to get it off and would run. I decided to put it on his shirt tag and tie him to the tree for a bit so I could eat. (How inhumane!) He just ripped his tag out of his shirt. I was tired by the end of the day. We left early, stopping at the port-a-potties on the way out. Luke went in a stall and I went in one. When I came out Andy still hadn't seen Luke. I banged on the door, no answer. I was sure it was him so I tried to jimmy the door open. The maintenance guy said jokingly. "Hope he didn't fall in!" I opened the door to find two feet sticking out of the toilet hole. Luke had been reaching in to grab the poops and put them in the urinal. Why? We still don't know. I remember thinking "I wish I had my camera, this would have made a great picture for my blog." Andy was worried he could have drowned. I was not so concerned, it wasn't too deep he would have just had a nice swim and we would have come in to find his head and not his feet sticking through the toilet hole. At this point I just gave up. Why even bother trying to live a normal life anymore?
Andy said as soon as we got to the car. "If I hadn't just pulled my son out of a toilet I might have considered having another baby." We'll see. Pray for my sanity please.
9 comments:
I LOVE IT!!!!
Tausha..Tausha..Tausha...first of all this is going to be a lengthy comment. You are an AWESOME mom! I would have been institutionalized a LONG time ago if I were in your shoes. Now here is what I have to say..I know more Kristen advise but here goes..SIMPLIFY!!!! Realize your limits!!! You have an autistic son and a demanding 3 yr old and a toddler. Don't try going to Sam's Club by yourself. (or don't let him out of the cart). Definitely do not buy chickens! As if you don't have enough PEOPLE to clean up after. I know the kids wanted them but stop and think about the chaos they might bring to your already CRAZY household. Definitely do not attempt Swiss Days with your kids. I know it sounds fun and you want to go but honey this just aint your season in life to be going to Swiss Days. You'll have your day. and FINALLY...DO NOT I mean DO NOT send Luke into a bathroom by himself. (Especially a porta-potty) DIGUSTING! I don't even let myself use those things unless I have to. I guess what I am saying is stop and think for a second what the potential negative outcome might be of each of those situations and that pretty much count on it happening and THEN SOME! Just realize that you have hard kids and you will have to limit what you do right now until things get more manageable. That's what I have to do and on top of that I don't have an autistic child. I think it's amazing that you do more than get out of bed everyday let alone do all the great things you do at home...bake, scrapbook, sew, crafts with your kids, etc. You need to give yourself more credit but also try to limit the things to try to take on. The only bummer is if you do those things we may all have to start PAYING for our entertainment!!!
Tausha- hang in there! You are doing the best you can. There was a time- when I had three little ones that I was always so sad and depressed and couldn't wait for it to be all over. I hoped and prayed that someday I would enjoy this mother thing more- some days are still hard- but I am trying to enjoy it- because the older my kids get- the more I realize how fast it goes (sometimes not fast enough!) Even though it seems peachy over at my blog- if you were to peek inside our real lives it would be chaos alot of the time. I just pray that somehow my kids will turn out okay.
pardon the pun, but parenting is a crapshoot. no child, family or parent is perfect, so let that fantasy go. next, you are a great mom. by now, i might have put my kids in the coop, let the chickens live indoors and dropped andy off at the DI. you will survive this, write a juicy novel, go on oprah and make gazillions. until then, we are here in the trenches (not portapotty) with you. Like guru kristen said, simplify. don't try and be supermom, because capes aren't flattering.
All of Tausha and Andy's friends should listen to Saturday's This American Life. The episode is called unconditional love. Listen to Act 2.
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=317
Doug
What is This American Life? Tausha, I hope you know that we all love you! You are a very strong person who has been given a couple of challenging kids. We want to help you. Do you mind when we give you advice? If we see a way that could help simplify your life, do you mind us sharing our ideas? I agree with what Kristen wrote. I admire you for how adventurous you are. You always want to your kids to experience everything and have fun. I hope you don't lose that, but I think a little simplification could help. At least until your kids are older and Luke hopefully grows out of his disappearing stage.
P.S. Did the chickens get back okay?
I had one of my friends read this entry because I thought it was so funny! It pulled her into a laugh as well and was helpful since she was having one of those "mom" days herself!! She thinks you should be a professional writer!
Just make sure you are writing all this stuff down for your kids to read some day! You will be amazed at yourself someday that you made it through! Hang in there.
Those stories broke my heart for you, hang in there. You are an amazing mom and are your children's parents for a reason (you can handle it!).
You have chickens?
That is very funny! I'm glad he didn't drown.
Paul
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