My little boy has been out of school on break for several weeks now. He starts back up in about two weeks, THANK GOD. I love having the kids home for awhile, because I’m lazy by nature and I like to sleep late. But I hate seeing my son struggle day after day after day. He’s so accustomed to his very structured daily routine at school, and we have very little structure at home. We have a loose routine in place – specific mealtimes and bedtimes, for example – but everything else is just kind of free-flowing. I keep trying to put a routine in place like on Supernanny, but we never can seem to stick to it.

And, as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t really WANT that crazy, strict picture schedule like they have at school. I know the boy would cope better with more routine, but I truly feel like the more relaxed environment at home will be better for him long term. I think growing up in a big house full of kids is more of a benefit than a detriment to my son, because he’s learning to adapt to changes in his routine. I also like the idea that he’s growing up, y’know….sort of NORMAL. Our lives don’t really revolve around him and his needs, they revolve around the children and all of their needs. I think it’s important for him to see that the world wasn’t created for him.

I’ve seen kids with autism completely lose it when things don’t go the way they expect them to, but I don’t see much of that with my son. What I DO see is him missing his teachers and friends. Another benefit to growing up in a big family is having other kids to play with all the time, but it’s hard when you’re the only boy in a family of girls. Yesterday, we headed out to the park to take advantage of the unseasonably gorgeous weather. I packed up a picnic lunch and we spent nearly two hours out in the sunshine – it was glorious. And it’s in that setting where all my kids are on a level playing field. They may not all be able to read and write yet, but they can all climb rock walls, play tag, and swing so high they touch the sky.

I hope I’m doing the right thing. That’s the hardest part about parenting a child with special needs – not knowing if things are going to work out in the end. But I guess that’s true for all parents, right?