Today our youngest son has turned 7 years old. Originally due on my birthday he arrived 5 weeks early to celebrate with the Queen instead! He was a good weight at 7lbs 1oz, born in the evening and sent home the very next day. Unfortunately he many trips backwards and forwards to the hospital, losing lots of weight and treated for jaundice, before something oozed out of his stomach and he was treated intravenously. Later we were to discover that he had a Global Developmental Delay and Sensory Processing Disorder – but most of all he is determined.
With the help of information, support of his preschool and school settings and his great will to succeed he is making better progress than ever. As he moves from a Statement to an EHC Plan it looks like he may risk losing some of his hours. He also has a change of school, but instead of being worried about it I am just so happy that he is doing so well – that he may not need so much support anymore. Forever closing the gap between himself and his peers.
But the gap is still there and having a brother in the year above makes this all the more obvious – especially as his awareness has matured. He isn’t allowed to do things that his brother can and he has had it in his mind it is an age thing. Now that he is 7 he (quite rightly really) thinks he should be able to do the same things that his other brother did at the same age. But no two children are the same and his older brother was “ready” for these things and I don’t feel that he is. I try to compensate and offer alternatives but it isn’t really what he wants.
For his birthday he wanted a party – to invite all his friends. Previously I know that he has struggled with his birthday – getting over excited and touching people. To be honest his brother(s) haven’t had parties either – we tend to stick to a couple of friends and/or an outing activity. He agreed with me that this year we would go to Alton Towers with friends and family. As his birthday is a school day he asked if he could have a couple of friends over. He wanted me to cook them bacon sandwiches and to play computer games. We have two sofas, well technically it is a corner that we have split in half as they do not fit our new house properly, so there is plenty of room for the children to all sit around the television. In fact if my other two children living at home want to join in there is still enough room for them too! Plus as they are split they are either side of the TV with a gap in the middle which we fill with chairs, a stool or beanbags (my tween got a massive red beanbag for Christmas which is the length of his bed!). I have also bought ice-cream, chocolate brownies, marshmallows, chocolate buttons, and Maltesers to put in a sundae glass for them. Plus I bought 2 cakes for the price of the Minion one he originally asked for (because we can get more slices out of it!). He has happily taken all his friends at school a sweet in each and I am sure he will have a great time this evening, and at the weekend. Maybe one year I will have a big party for him as he is doing so well.
Other Posts of Interest:
Sensory Processing Disorder and Party Planning