Another day in paradise

Things have been incredibly tough here at chateau Hammie, Boo is going off scale in his willfulness and last night I didn't sleep more than an hour at a time.

He woke up and stayed wide awake from 2am and continually came into our room asking for Dvds to be wiped, the player to be fixed and countless other stuff that I can't seperate from my dreams, but which culminated in a DVD player being washed.
Now that won't be playing anything again. Last week it was his TV/VCR unit that had a drink of apple juice. Ah feck it!



There is a lot of independence related stuff, so perhaps it is typical adolescence. He wants to do everything for himself and can't because of his autism. Who knows?



Part of me wants to write about it and show you the pictures of ripped apart phones and broken plates because I think it might make other parents feel less alone. But the other part doesn't want to give more fodder to this crazy bint who already thinks our lives are barely worth living.



Truth is there are good days and bad days. There are also people who are trained to help you through these times and we are lucky enough to have our kids in a school where these people work. Long may they stay there.

It is possible for many more of these schools to open, and many more lives to be improved. All totally achievable. So stick that up yer bum Carol Sarler. And you Daily Mail for allowing such tripe to be published. I won't buy your paper again.



So I will just show you some pretty photos of the trip to Singapore Zoo in January - the ones the keepers took.



My thanks to everyone for all your flattering comments on the Family photos. Much obliged and mystified.








Comments

Make Do Style said…
I read the article - geez the bint is crazy.

I have no idea how tough it is and your last nights experience must be draining but all the time I get love, fun and lots of happiness via your blog so you have a great life as you know!
K.Line said…
Oh man, that sucks so big time. The exhaustion that culminates in not being able to tell if you are awake or asleep is torture. Really. I so hope that he gets his adolescent craziness out soon - for your sake! Sometimes kids are so frickin' hard.
Anonymous said…
It's so hard to stay sane when you're sleep-deprived. Oh, Hammie, I wish I could help.
Nick McGivney said…
The same old story, always with the certain knowledge of what's best for everybody. The scariest part of articles like that is how much sense it will make to people who are not parents of kids on the spectrum as if they could ever have a clue, any more than I could of being a unicorn. I have no doubt that Carol Sarler will be 'surprised' at many of the reactions she'll be getting. The tough end of it, the unconditional love amidst the chaos, is something that Carol cannot connect with, obviously. This post could teach her a lesson on that.
Volodya said…
great photos!

please do have some proper sleep, it's really important both for you and for your family that you get proper sleep!
jazzygal said…
Phew.....dunno WHERE to begin on this.

1st off...poor you and all at chez Hammie. I'll never forget the lack of sleep....ever, so I really feel for you. God, midterm breaks have a lot to answer for! For most kids it's a much needed break but for kids with autism it's a nightmarish break from the routine they crave. Good that he's showing some independance though...just needs to be channelled! With a huge dose of common sense thrown in...but how do you do that?? You can't teach them the steps to follow for every situation. And certainly NOT at 2am!

Now, for the newspaper article. Hmmm. On 1st read I thought she's playing devils' advocate....on 2nd read I thought she leads you to believe that she's just voicing Toms' parents view. Hard to imagine but, let ME play devils' advocate here, maybe there are people out there who feel like that???? But Every time I read it I'm appalled at her last para....especially the last line.

Now , I'm getting mad! How dare she??!! The parents have a right to feel however they feel about their child's existence but the Author has no real concept of what it's like. I do not like the idea of every one out there polling on whether or not there should be pre birth screening for Autism either. God forbid that they be allowed to make decisions like this.

Advocate for more schools and more assistance for them, yes....but deny their very existence???? How dare she? And why stop at Autism??? Grrrrrr!!

I hope Boo is suitably KNACKERED and sleeps well tonight! xxx J
Nan P. said…
Just read your post, clicked on the link, read the article, asked "what the F...?" and came back to your post to say, simply, "sod this stupid woman who thinks herself so clever". As Nick says, the absolute unconditional love that permates your blog is no match to her tripe. So there!

And again, cool photos on this post. Nice to look at the good days on a bad day.

Wishing you a good night sleep tonight...
drwende said…
You know that columnist is trouble when she calls herself a "dispassionate observer" at the end. Parents are NOT dispassionate about their children, and it'd be unhealthy if you were.

I wonder how much less "wreckage" there'd be if parents got to skip the self-blame step and go straight to coping. That doesn't mean I think day-to-day coping is easy... but sheesh... self-blame (especially unnecessary self-blame) makes everything harder.
Jules said…
Nice photo's=)
But i guess you really have to sleep well.Just try to calm and relax yourself..
Have a nice day..
Elizabeth said…
I haven't gone to read that article you linked to, because I'm in a good mood and don't want to boil over with rage!

I hope you get some rest soon; I realize that may sound silly, given your circumstances, but I can dream, can't I?

xx
pamela said…
Please just erase every word of that vomit of words from your memory.
Lisamaree said…
MakeyDo: just take a normal little kid and multipy it. Thanks for your support and for recognising the happiness we do enjoy.
K: Had a great sleep last night after sitting wih Boo, sans TV until he fell asleep and then waiting until midnight for Bratty to calm down too. She slept, He slept, I SLEPT!

Sal: just saying that helps!

Nick: you seem to be more able than most to empathise with us Unicorns, thanx

etre-moral: Thankyou for thinking of me. Will try!

Jazzy: Yep! there are people that do think that way. People who think that mortality would be preferable. people who torture their kids with magic medicines and so called cures. I can't judge them but they do mystify me. xx

Nan: thankyou, the wishes worked! 7 hours in a row.

Summer: thanks for dropping in Again. Calmness, now theres a word. Got to Be Zen!
(I bet you can't use an exclamation mark when being zen?)

DrWende: you are so smart, and your comment on skipping blame is a post in itself. And yet we all do it, how did we evolve this way? HOW?

enc: Good move, skip it. I hate to give these people the oxygen of publicity but another parent sent it to me and wanted my opinion. I just imagine a bitter spinster who wants to rescue donkeys but can't find enough love for all children.

Pamela, she didnt upset me. I am worried about the trend but hopeful it wont spread to Ireland. There are many many children with disabilities being born here that could have been "screened" but instead have joined the world and enriched it. Feck her.

xx
Sister Wolf said…
What a Fucking Cunt™ !!!
WendyB said…
Washing a DVD player is definitely a new concept to me. Oh dear!
The Spicers said…
I don't know how that crazy woman is qualified to weigh in since she doesn't have an autistic child herself. Commenting on what little she sees of her friend's situation is a ridiculous generalization about autistic kids.
I know (a little bit) how you feel with the sleeplessness. I have to get up and test my son's blood sugar every hour or two some nights and it's totally exhausting to sleep in tiny intervals. I hope the nighttime stuff is a phase he'll soon outgrow.
Candice DeVille said…
Oh dear, when reality is as strange as dreams it makes for some very trying days indeed. I can only imagine.
As for the zoo, that Singapore one is amazing! Did you get to do the breakfast with the Orangutans session?
Anonymous said…
Ah man, sorry to hear you've been in the wars. I'm not even going to bother giving the Daily Mail link a click and endorse their views.

Hang in there matey and rejoice in the GOOD days. xx
Seeker said…
Hi sweetie and lovely you!!

I can understand things are though, and I think they're not going to be better in a near future (sorry if I'm being cruel, just trying to be realistic), because I think the adolescent craziness is just begining....
But you that fter the storm there are always good days of sun.
Enjoy those days, my darling.
I wish I could do something or say something to help.
But I'm sending you so much love and big hugs.
And I'm here, "call" me if you need.
Love you
xoxo

PS- Gorgeous photos!!!
I hope that you have since gotten some rest. Sounds like a rough patch in another wise paradise like life.
p.s. Darling you, I have an award for you over at my blog.
~Tessa~Scoffs said…
Hammie, I find that when I'm over-tired, it is easier to cry for love. Small payoff, I know.
I also read the article and I was floored and second Sisters (newly trademarked) sentiment. I hope you get some rest tonight xxx
Anonymous said…
Hi there Hammie!

I know exactly how you feel - my own (neurotypical) 2-and-a-half-year-old hasn't slept through the night since he was born, so sleep deprivation is a matter of course in casa Truf. Ironically, my autie sleeps like a log. Anyway, about the article, my first thought was: what were you doing reading that rag?! It was a relief to know someone sent you the link. I would be worried about my mental health if I agreed with anything written in the Mail. It certainly put me off my lentils and made my guardianista beard itchy :-)
As to Madame Slater's argument, I have an even better suggestion then hers - at the first sign of dementia, send the old folks to the gas chambers. Sort of puts the article in a different light, doesn't it?
Truf
Lisamaree said…
Sister Wolf: Succinct as always!

WendyB: once is unfortunate, twice looks like carelessness!

I heart: I think you understand, and I hope the sugar levels balance out and become more manageable soon.

Super K: that is the story of my life! And no we didnt go to breakfast with the orangs, as we both had little colds (human colds are bad for them)
But it was nice to be that close anyhow.

Top Bird: Thanks. I wouldnt normally draw attention to it but it is important for the special needs community to know what the Aga set are reading and perhaps agreeing with. The Daily Wail must have run out of asylum seekers to pick on.

Tessa: nope, I am expected to be the strong one around here and no one catches me when I fall.

Mattie: thankyou. and thankyou for reading it. It seems that the recession is bringing back 1930s style regression into eugenics. What next?

Truf: I actually read it in Spain once or twice as it is the cheapest english language paper and cannot believe the poorly disguised bigotry! Less tolerance than a Dublin Taxi Driver. But as I said we have to comment and respond.

Seeker: thankyou darling! but you can keep the rest of puberty. I am simply floored by it.

La Belle': Thankyou you are just the sweetest.

Thankyou all of you once again for your support.
Sorry the blogging is so poor lately but I barely have time to scratch myself these days!
xx