It’s been 7 weeks of summer holidays at a different kind of normal; 7 weeks of different routine, 7 weeks of relaxed structure, 7 weeks of meltdowns, 7 weeks of physical hard work, 7 weeks of mental toughness, 7 weeks of craziness, 7 weeks of “mum, mum, MUM”, 7 weeks of number jacks on repeat, 7 weeks of snacks every 5 minutes, 7 weeks of “he’s annoying me AGAIN”, 7 weeks of demands, 7 weeks of pure madness!!! 7 weeks of summer – some days it’s been a breeze, other days it’s been a full blown hurricane and the only reason we’ve all survived is because it’s been a team effort!!
Two boys, two different sets of needs (sma & autism) and one mama – there’s just no way you can physically do it all, so all summer we’ve operated as a team to make sure there’s been laughs, happiness and to make sure we’ve all made it to bed time alive! We might not have had as many days out as everyone else, we might not have had as many play dates as everyone else, we might not have stayed up as late as everyone else and we probably haven’t cherished every moment like everyone else but as I look back over the summer we’ve done it our way. We’ve went on holiday where we ate ice creams, played at the park, visited new places, went bike rides. We’ve had movie nights, went for long walks, played at the beach, more bike rides, saw a few friends, chilled at home and of course we’ve had some hospital appointments to fit in for both boys.
This has only been possible though because we’ve worked together. I am incredibly grateful for my parents who have been here every day over the holidays; for the ironing that’s been done, the 15 mins of google earth on the I-pad that’s gave us all a chance to breathe, the “I’ll come down so you can go to Tesco”, the trips with me to the park or walks so that I have someone to help with all the lifting, the extra pair of hands & eyes that’s needed when the boys are both in the same room together, the “I’ll get that” or the “I’ve changed my diary to do this”. My lovely husband who goes out to work early every morning just so that he’s back early enough to help get the bath & bedtime routine done, who works really hard so that I can stay home with the boys, who changes work schedules to be at appointments, who misses social events so that he’s home with us, who takes over so I can get a chance to shower or sort washing. For the friends who message to ask how we are – I know I don’t always get round to replying but I am very appreciative of you all thinking of us & know that in my head I am replying to you even if it doesn’t quite make it to the actual message!!
So 7 weeks are nearly up – my lovely boys will be back at school & nursery on Wednesday. The summer holidays have been very challenging and yes, some days, actually a lot of days have ended in tears. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t loved having them at home where I know they are safe, loved, sheltered, free to be their quirky, different selves. I am looking forward to the structure school brings & the 2 hours I have each day boy free but part of me will miss this survival mode of the summer holidays, part of me will look back and will forget about the meltdowns, the tears, the tantrums, the arguments and I’ll remember the moments of calm, the capital cities Caleb has memorised all summer, the excitement when he discovered the tooth fairy had been, the joy of Zac playing football in his power chair, the two of them laughing together and I’ll be so very grateful that my team got us all through to the finish line of the 7 week marathon that was the summer holidays!!
A Different Kind Of Normal 