It's Been a While ...
... so let me update you.
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The world of social media is brutal confusing and a moving beast. Facebook is changing and showing what THEY want people to see, with reels and shorts and TikToks dominating the new way we consume information! It’s exhausting.
I just want to tell people my story!
So I am thinking things through. I am working out how to keep up with the platforms that give me the channels to share my words and messages.
In essence, I need to post across them and use a variety of channels to share our journey. So bear with me while I step up and get back on the social media train.
Starting with a blog post about our week ⬇️
A boy who won't stop can lie for a decade!
I sat today with my boy lying next to me, his foot on my lap and my hands giving him my best attempt at reflexology.
“I have never seen Rhys lie so still,” said my friend, as I moved up his calves and massaged his muscles.
“Yes this calms him, it's an interesting one”
I have done it for years and I distinctly remember the first time I ever took his foot in my hand. Rhys was around two and we sat in an empty warehouse that was being used as a car washing business. I was on a metal chair waiting for the car, while Rhys sat in his stroller next to me. Autism was part of our world back then, but I had no clue. My son was a toddler, and autistic traits could be confused for any two-year-old antics.
Rhys screamed that day. The acoustics in the empty shell of a building were not the right atmosphere, and the addition of the water and cold air was a recipe not fit for the Paul Hollywood handshake! I don't know why I did it. Maybe it was because Rhys had kicked his shoes off in frustration and his feet were currently auditioning for an Irish jig, or I just grabbed his feet to calm him down, but it worked.
As I rubbed his soles, he calmed.
I massaged him for half an hour. Then we got back in the car and happily set off home.
My son likes touch. He requests “tickles” twenty times a day. Tickles that cripple him with laughter, the extreme where most others scream their surrender, but he screams for more.
Cwtches* are always on offer, and a good rough-and-tumble from his brother is never denied.
My son doesn't sit still, but in the same way, you can take a thrashing shark and comatose them through a nose rub, my boy will stop and chill with a foot rub, no skills are needed, just patience and trust.
Give it a try, you may be amazed.
Popular Posts
Transitions are one of the toughest things to master when your child is autistic. The move between activities, the transition from sleep to awake, and the feelings of warm to cold all need thought and consideration. Read how we managed it.
To others it would just have been a family bike ride, to us it was so much more. Read about our bike riding here.
Coming Up
The festive season is on the way, so look out for suggestions of some great items we have found over the years. From budget, less than a fiver things, to the big stuff we cannot live without.
My autistic son used to ask me to press his head when he felt anxious- I would oblige and he calmed down while I did it. He also liked to take all the cushions of the sofa lie on it and then ask someone to put the cushions back and lie on top. Very early weighted blanket there I think. He’s 27 now. Just discovered your newsletter and really enjoying.