Screaming Fits

I was thinking about how happy I am that the days of screaming fits about clothes not fitting correctly have come to an end. I think that's a response for people who are on the Autism Spectrum. As I've aged and learned about Autism, I'm pretty sure that Caleb, myself, and our kids are on the Spectrum a little bit. We were never diagnosed, though.

Honestly, the more I learn about Autism, the more I think everybody is a little of the spectrum. When I was a child, I remember being so extremely bothered by the feel of certain fabrics--especially nylon. It would make me want to vomit. I couldn't stand to hear the sound of it on my dad's pants as he walked by, and I hated that my cheerleading uniform was made out it. Some fabrics just burn the skin, and that was one of them.

I also remember breaking down into tears when I was in the fourth grade because a pair of blue jeans didn't fit me correctly. It was before school, and I just lost my mind. My mom was ironing clothes and her mouth just dropped open as she stared at me and wondered what to do. I understand the feeling, now.

When my son was little, he couldn't stand wearing some of the clothes and shoes that I put him into. However, I didn't know what to do other than to teach him to work through it, because I was really limited on the shoes that I could allow him to wear. I needed them to be a great foundation for his body. He would have such extreme screaming fits over his shoes and pants.

I could understand it, though, because I use to be that way. I'm still that way, but I learned how to manage those emotions and work with the material. It's easier now that the kids are older, and we can calmly communicate about needs. Now we have soft words instead of screaming fits.