Intervention of Sorts!

Ok, so I officially feel as if I received a wake up call from God. How? Well, we went through about two weeks of worry, after Elliott's speech therapist told us there were several red flag or warning signs of Autism/PDD. I scoured the Internet for more information. There is a wealth of great information out there and there is so much more misinformation which can lead you around in circles. It can almost make it nearly impossible to create a game plan for your child. I have to say it was a frustrating and time consuming process trying to find more information or resources about Autism.

Well, I got myself so wound up I wouldn't sleep at night. I would lay awake with worry and then go into Elliott's room and stare at him, then leave and start praying. I was driving everyone around me nuts, wondering what was in store for Elliott. I had so many questions without answers - how can we be the best possible parents to our little boy? How could we be better advocates for our child? 

Well, we made two appointments with different doctors and they both came to the same conclusion - NO, your child does not have Autism or PDD, but rather he has some interesting fixations - which we will watch; and is a highly spirited child with a very strong will. Alright, what does that translate into - imagine you are Michael Jordan, heck you can play ball like nobody else, you will do what ever it takes to take that ball to the hoop, to score every single chance you get, to make every shot count and do it just for the fun of it. That is Elliott, everything he does, he does with PURPOSE, there is nothing that will deter him from his goals, whatever they may be at point in time. 

Here is what we have done. House being UBER clean is no longer a goal (which I have to say, is single handedly the hardest thing to do - learning to LET GO). Our goal is to make our home a playground of sorts - to encourage his wild imagination, his cognitive thinking, not worry about what playdoh or finger paints will be adhered to, but rather - letting Elliott run with it. All the while encouraging our little boy to be a little boy. 

The scariest part of it all is trying to keep him safe - providing a safe environment for him to do so. Which I have to say, they do not write books about safety for spirited, strong willed children. All the little safety pamphlets do not have a strong willed, highly spirited child in mind. So, as we SUPER childproof our home and offer our child out to all the would be parents or parents thinking about procreating, Elliott is a master at taking anything apart and at showing you what needs to change in your house before the big or impending arrival arrives.

Oh yeah, my wake up call, my house being clean isn't as important as Elliott... big DUH right? It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day activities of cleaning, running errands and making dinner, and cleaning all over again day in and out, you almost forget how to have fun and just be. A little OCDish is what I would have called my fervent cleaning habits.