Summer break is ending, and we feel the excitement of a new school year in the air. Well, maybe for parents. For kids, it might feel different.
As parents, we are always highly alert and worried about our kids. This does not change no matter how old your child is—ask my mom!
I know worrying about your kid is normal. It is part of being a parent. But I have recognized, and I can imagine, parents that have a neurodivergent child; it is a bit more pronounced.
As I watched my kids run around on a beautiful summer evening, the deep green colored grass after the rain and two beautiful rainbows in the sky, I could not help my anxiety.
My kids were playing with two other boys. The kids were friendly and didn’t do anything other children wouldn’t do. They would always have my younger child be “it.” K would see this and then let his younger brother tag him. K tried to tag the other kids, but they were faster. K has made so much improvement, and we are incredibly thankful, but there is still a difference in reactivity in his body compared to other children. So, there I was, watching my kids be “it,” one for being young and the other because his body wasn’t responding how it used to.
My mind had a thousand thoughts per second. What-if thoughts? Those are the most dangerous thoughts. They send you into a rabbit hole. I decided that for my mental stability, we needed to come home. At home, my boys went to the backyard and were happy, running around and playing with the dogs. They didn’t know anything was wrong.
I took a minute to stop judging myself for doing what was best for me. As parents, we often forget that we have to be okay. If we want our children to thrive, we must show them how to succeed.
So I sat in silence with my thoughts. All I could hear was the laughter of my boys playing outside. I couldn’t help but smile at this. They brought me back to now!
As long as I hear their laughter, I don’t have to worry!
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