Hi and welcome to my blog. I really think parents need to lighten up; I mean, if parenting was meant to be a serious endeavor they'd offer classes! Oh, wait....
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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Picky Eaters

            My policy concerning picky eaters has been firmly rooted in the 50’s.  Eat what I have prepared for dinner or go hungry otherwise known as, “There are starving children in ____________ (pick underprivileged country and insert here), that would love your ____________ (pick yucky dinner option and insert there)”.  And frankly, up until recently I have had zero issues with said dinner policy.  I said until recently….
            You see I have a daughter who is autistic and autistic kids have strange quirks.  It’s not unusual for them to find certain noises unnerving (hand dryers in public bathrooms will cause her to cover her ears and hunch into a ball), tags in the back of shirts and those finished seams running through clothes can drive them insane (My daughter hates wearing “new” clothes because of the sizing, aka the starch they put in new garments that makes them stiff and uncomfortable.  It can take multiple washings to get that stuff out!), textures bother some kids and the list of hyper/hypo sensitivities goes on and on.  I’m fortunate that Myriam doesn’t seem to have many of those issues or maybe I’ve just gotten used to them so I ignore them, I don’t know.  Either way, anytime a new behavior rears its head, it always sends me into a momentary panic. 
I mean there’s SO very much to know about Autism and SO very much I’m supposed to be doing.  I think we all know that I’m really not equipped to handle an autistic child.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m the best at skinned knees!  Splinters—Bring it! And although I profess to be inept at dealing with vomiting children, it’s all in jest.  I mean I do have THREE kids—vomiting is a fact of life!  Even the really serious stuff stitches, broken bones protruding through the skin, my children listening to emo; I’m your girl.  Seriously if we’re talking first aid situations, I have all of the badges and certificates necessary.  But Autism….  That’s forever. 
Temple GrandinAnywho, my once wonderful eater has begun turning her nose up at foods she has eaten before.  In fact the past two weeks has been a constant battle to keep Pop Tarts in the house.  I kid you not, but the only thing she has eaten for two weeks has been yogurt, pudding, cucumbers, bell peppers, and Pop Tarts (she prefers the “red” ones but will eat any flavor)!  How long can a person subsist on Pop Tarts?  And why Pop Tarts?  I mean have you tried them?    
Perhaps this IS "just a phase" and perhaps my paranoia IS just that?  But I just don’t know.  And kind hearted friends and family tell me that their children went through this phase too and it will pass.  But what if it doesn’t?  I mean, I saw the Temple Grandin movie too, and was I the only Mommy out there that caught that the ONLY thing she eats is yogurt, pudding and Jell-O?????  Can you do that?????

2 comments:

Sara said...

Hearing you talk about Myriam reminds me of myself as a child. I am hear to comfort you by saying, I grew out of it, eventually. The seams on my socks were my biggest obstacle to getting ready in the morning - I mean tantrums were thrown over the seams being under my feet or in between my toes - and for a good year, I would eat mostly things that were orange (grilled cheese, juice, carrots, cantaloupe or mac and cheese). I remember I first started to break out of my habits when I saw my friends doing new things. My mom would invite friends over and I'd see them enjoying pizza and I started to eat pizza. As I became more socialized, my independent quirks lessened, which I know is the difficulty with autism. My cousin's child is highly autistic, about 10 now, and I've seen it get better through the years. Hang in there, you are not only attempting to treat Myriam but raising a child too! Even more socially developed children have their quirks and habits. I admire ya and have faith that you can do this ;)

bcIMthemommy said...

Thanks Sara! I appreciate knowing that there are people out there living with these quirks and ticks and they are managing to LIVE!

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