Retaliation – Fri 27th March 2015
By Jeannette | March 27, 2015
It didn’t look as if the week was going to end well this afternoon.
T and D, who are so varied in so many traits but so similar in others, had a bit of a “spat”, which resulted in retaliation on both sides and nearly an hour of weeping and tears from D afterwards.
This is where I find life with autism frustrating, but I can’t show it – or shouldn’t do anyway. As the after effects are far, far worse than the original incident.
Today’s began with a look from T to D, a look that usually means “stop it” or “don’t be silly”, a look that if she sees it, she doesn’t like. She saw it, she wanted to bolt. She did.
Then, after finally getting her safely in the house, she reacted again by throwing something at T, he retaliated, she retaliated and … bam, we have a “situation” where neither wants to back down, neither showing any empathy towards the other and I felt like the referee in a fierce match.
Normally I don’t raise my voice but today I did. T storming off angrily, D bursting into tears and unable to calm down for nearly an hour.
And then, as if the clouds had cleared, or a switch flicked, all was fine. We had our Friday tea with “best, worst and funniest bits of the week” and neither mentioned it. In fact D’s “worst bit” was school-related whilst T had none.
I’ve said it before, but autism parenting is never, ever boring. Sometimes frustrating, sometimes it makes me want to cry, other times we laugh and laugh. But boring? Never.
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