Depression Support Group
Depression is a real and debilitating condition that is often misunderstood by family and friends. Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms. Find and share experiences with others who are going through the same struggles.
As I sit here having failed for multiple times to explain the emptiness under the tree to my son with Down’s syndrome that I’m sorry. He becomes agitated as would anyone that’s puzzled by what they’ve come to expect as was the absolute rule of life. Can’t blame him and he’s always been a parties, holidays, special events, person so this absence is noted by him if not understood. I’ve often remarked to people that if the creator could give me one thing it would be to be inside his head and see the world as he does for just one day. It would be an amazing individual record of another’s feelings and a onetime only event since.... well..... you know.
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Ever since I stopped doing therapy because of insurance, I've been feeling that old tense and irritable sense of anxiety and stress. I hate that. I was making so many strides and changes during therapy, my therapist would acknowledge all of my progress and accomplishments, and I miss that reassurance. Today I thought about it, and I made those changes! She would always tell me that I chose to...
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It's been some time since my last post...sorry. I've been going through a challenging time with the sale of my home, purchase of a condo and my adult asperger son that lives with me. I've had days where I couldn't get out of bed, days where I stayed in my pj's and days where all I managed to do was eat, drink fluids and take care of my Sweet Mia kitty. Sweet Mia came to me from a shelter about...
again, i get it that those things can be too far to reach.
i like the idea of wrapping up candy - can he have candy?
maybe pop corn... what elsse?
i'm sorry it i sdifficult.
hugs xo
a box filled up with pieces of paper that say, hug, all sorts of different ways on them.
(i actually made a cookie tin full one year and it was received very well - startled me)
To make up for the lack of 'expensive gifts' I'm knitting him a blanket. In stead of roast beef, we are having turkey. Stocking stuffers have dollar store gifts.
It's not so much about gifts. For me, it's my goal to create happy memories. We'll bake cookies together for neighbor friends. And we will make a Birthday Cake together for Baby Jesus on Christmas day.
My son has only me, Iive no family, his father is not in his life. It's a hard time of year for many. My son has autism and is also challenged with processing. We can only do the best we can..for me, sometimes putting one foot in front of the other is hard.
My best to you and yours
And yes, it's VERY hard with kids (of any age) with cognitive challenges...they just don't understand. And are often much more rigid than we'd like them to be.
If he's very, very impaired, then maybe you can actually wrap up stuff that he already has. Like a 1 year old, the fun is in simply ripping up the wrapping paper.
A bit less impaired, you can do dollar store type gifts. (This isn't going to help if his mental age is 6 and he wants a video game, however...he doesn't have peers...and you can often get some really old games from gamestop for only a few dollars.)
If his mental age is closer to 12-15...it's going to be tough. But it's also possible that he might surprise you with his ability to understand. You could try filling his stocking with slips of paper with activities listed (One foot rub, One trip to see the Lights, One trip to the Part, etc.) These are going to just be things that you would have done anyway...but that doesn't mean that your Heart can't make them special.
If he rejects all of that (and he might), then just know that it's just one day...and you've filled his heart in other years, and there may yet be more to go.
As for the actual day....I agree with jewells...maybe string popcorn, make paper chains, make sugar cookies?
Or maybe...don't even try to make it "special". I have teens...special is leaving my son be to play online video games all day long. He's going to spend Christmas Eve at the fire station, so I'll just let him sleep in as long as he wants.