Our family is in the process of a move which is a difficult task for the typical family. Our family falls within the atypical category by a landslide. How many families do you know who live with autism (Asperger's Syndrome and PDD NOS), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder and cerebral palsy along with asthma, various allergies, vision difficulties and more all wrapped up into three darling boys. (That list does not include the parental oddities.) Thought so. We are having a ball...not.
Up to this point the boys' reactions to the move have been varied and pronounced, and the mood changes from moment to moment. I do not have a clue what mood the boys will exhibit when they awaken each morning. I have switched back to real coffee...the stuff with caffeine...because I need it for the mornings. Some of the negative verbal feedback from the boys regarding the move:
- I'm staying right here and living in the woods. I don't need a house or a mom or a dad.
- I'm calling Grandmama.
- I'm calling Granddaddy Ed.
- I'm moving in with A. (Their 26 year old brother who, by the way, lives in the city to which we are moving.)
- You are just mean parents.
- Who will take care of B.J.'s horses when she has to go out of town?
- How will I find my socks? (Do not ask me why socks are harder to find in a different house.)
- Ursula doesn't want to move. (She's our dog.)
- I don't want my own room.
- There is no water in _______. (Referring to rivers and creeks because we live next to both here in the mountains.)
- I can't pee outside if I live in a neighborhood.
- I can't take my clothes off outside if we live in a neighborhood.
- There are not enough trees there.
- I don't want to move because I don't want to move.
In a later post I will share the positive verbal responses as the boys are playing Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde with us. In the meantime here are a few photos of the new, horrid home where we will be forcing the boys to live.
It's not the outward appearance of a house I would build if I had the time and money, but it does have four bedrooms, two and one-half baths, a living room, dining room, family room, great kitchen with a bay window breakfast nook and a seating area in front of a fireplace. The fireplace is open between the family room and sitting area of the kitchen. It has a stairway from the front foyer and one from the kitchen leading upstairs to the bedrooms. I love that you do not have to go to the front of the house to walk upstairs. It means when I am in the kitchen, I can get upstairs quicker to investigate all the mysterious sounds.
The house is one of the few on the market in the suburbs which actually has a yard. The yard is nicely landscaped with a sprinkler system. The back yard is terraced. There is a spacious deck. The house sits on a hill with a deeply sloping front yard...can't you see it now...boys rolling down into the street below...bikes screeching into the street below...can't you imagine a Slip'n Slide on the front lawn? Thank goodness the house sits on a cul-de-sac with minimum traffic.
Yeah, it is sheer torture indeed that we are forcing the boys to live in such conditions. Just call us terrible parents. Did I mention the boys will each have their own bedroom? That they have the choice of what color we paint their individual rooms? That there is a humongous neighborhood pool? That there are several green areas designated for play, walking and exploration? How could we be so cruel as to force all of this upon them? I expect child protective services to show up on our doorsteps any day now.
Seriously, there are many issues to deal with when moving children who do not adapt well to change because they are wired differently from the majority. I would like to explore those issues in later posts...in between packing boxes and a little sleep...and maybe a meal or two.
Please feel free to offer your moving advice. All help is greatly appreciated...greatly appreciated...and greatly needed.
