Yes - bungee cords have many wonderful uses in our house. If anyone wants to buy the Pack-n-Play crib sitting in our hall upstairs, please let me know. I'll give you a good deal on it!
Another random thing I need to mention is that for her 4th birthday, The Skink got a singing cow from my mother. It is by far The Skink's favorite toy right now, so much so that we have to take it away from her at nap time and night time... or she'll make it sing "Blue Mooooooooon" all night! The following picture was taken right after my mom gave it to her...
More bars in more places...
And apparently children who go to camp learn to do the chicken dance! No matter what music is playing these days, we get a visit from our resident chicken.
Even though it's been really hot lately, I took the kids to the park the other day. We have a great park within walking distance, but there is another one that is a short drive away - I like it better because it is completely fenced in! I can set The Skink loose and I don't have to run after her the entire time. They also have these neat little play houses for the kids, and the whole park is beautifully maintained.
Remember, the bars are for YOUR safety!
I have often told people that Iraq has an amazing amount of patience when it comes to The Skink. This morning she got really mad at her little sister when The Skink wandered into her room through the un-latched baby gate and "messed up" one of the lines of matchbox cars. If you have read my blog before, you know that Iraq has a form of Autism called Asperger's syndrome. She is super-high functioning, but has some quirks - one of which is lining up all her toys in perfect lines. This is how she "plays." People with Asperger's often have these strange forms of OCD - like compulsions to do things other people may not understand. To Iraq, having one of the cars moved out of it's place in line is... BAD! She can't explain why it's bad, but it just is. Kind of like how germaphobes know in their mind they won't *die* if they don't wash their hands, but they are compelled to do so... over and over and over.
So, The Skink apparently moved a few of the cars which resulted in a massive, pre-camp melt-down. It was about the angriest I've seen Iraq get with The Skink, but she still did not resort to any physical actions. The Skink looked horrified and ran from Iraq's room with her hands over her ears.
Iraq's compulsive nature can result in some positive things, like how she organizes her shoes. Other compulsions are just a little random, though...
This is actually a BIG improvement! Leaving the drawers open "just-so" is fine with me, really! She used to take ALL the clothes out of the drawers and put them in a single drawer. Talk about wrinkles!!
The compulsions that cause problems (like wrinkled clothes, permanent pen marks on things, nasty smells or general destruction of property) well, we work on those things a day at a time. We make sure she understands why we don't want her to do those things, and when necessary, temporarily take away toys or privileges as punishment... but one time is usually not enough. If it is a true compulsion, we will see it over and over and over, no matter what the punishment is. The all-the-clothes-in-one-drawer thing lasted months, so you can't imagine how excited I am to see the drawers as you see them above! YAYYYY!
Sure, it can be stressful for everyone involved, but we love her to bits no-matter-what! There will always be some people who believe their children to be perfect. I will never be one of those. My children are perfect for who they are. That is how they were made. It's my job to help them find their way in this world as best I can... that, and keep them alive...
Yeah - it's all in a day's work.
Have I mentioned how good Iraq is getting at Hide and Go Seek? She used to hide under her bed every time, but look how creative she is getting!!
*
Hey...I just saw your comment on my blog (and realized that I don't have your blog set as one I follow....oops, sorry) You should friend me on facebook. I can't send you a request since I DONT KNOW YOUR REAL NAME :) Anyway, mine is Denise Butler Vollmer. But when you send me a request, write a little note telling me who you are since I won't recognize your name.
ReplyDeleteI love the shoe organizing of your middle one - she has a future as a professional organizer.
ReplyDeleteFor the little one, have you considered putting a baby gate over her doorway. You can still close the door but if she opens, she's still trapped. We used to love the spring loaded ones that we could move around the house based on where we needed to restrain a child!
Nancy - I suppose I should have mentioned in the blog that we have tried both baby gates (which she can climb over and/or somehow remove) and those things that go over the door handles so babies can't turn the knob. The latter worked well for our other 2 kids, but not for The Skink! The Skink gets VERY creative in her problem-solving skills. So far, the bungee is the only thing that has kept her contained... (so far... )
ReplyDelete