Coin a Phrase

I was lounging this past weekend, flipping through the latest issue of Real Simple magazine. 

First off, can I just point out how fashion forward I am with the bed linens that perfectly coordinate with the color trends featured on the magazine cover?  Lol!

 

Usually I breeze past the ads, but this one caught me off guard and by surprise:

 

Apparently J-Boy has been moonlighting as a marketing exec for Origins cosmetics! 

 

He came up with the term "Night-a-mins" when he was 7 years old to distinguish the Flinstone chewables variety from the medication he was taking before bed to help with some of the extreme behaviors he was demonstrating due to his then recent diagnosis of autism.  He is always so clever with word play! 

It was a very difficult decision to put J-Boy on medication.  At the time, he had just been diagnosed, and our family was in crisis.  Not because of the diagnosis; that news was actually a blessing.  The diagnosis gave us a a name for what we were dealing with, as well as much needed  direction in educating ourselves and seeking guidance in parenting this unique kid who totally defied our parenting instincts and the practices that had worked so beautifully with J-Girl.  We loved J-Boy and were afraid that any medication would squelch all the fun-loving personality he had, and leave us with an empty shell.  But, his emotional breakdowns kept us walking on eggshells, never knowing what might unleash the Tasmanian Devil that whirled through the house, injuring himself, his sister, me, and any number of material objects including mirrors, cameras, cutting boards, etc. 

The low dose medicine was to target the "frequency, intensity, and duration" of J-Boy's daily, Defcon 1 level, 2 hour tantrums.   And the plan made with his doctor was that this was a temporary solution that would allow J-Boy some inner peace and calm that would be a condusive state in which to learn some coping skills.  We decided we would try it, with baited breath and a skeptic eye, ready to pull the plug on the experiment if we did not like the effects we were seeing.  We were pleasantly surprised.  While his behaviors weren't eliminated, they were definitely de-escalated. 

And now, J-Boy no longer takes Night-a-mins.  He has matured and grown, and has gained so much poise and control.  I was so afraid of losing him behind a veil of drugs.  But we never did.  He was more lost to us when he was struggling, so miserable with emotions and feelings that were bigger than he was, bigger than any of the tools he had to work with.  We look upon the skills he's learned with the same pride as his learning to walk, or ride a bike.  It's like we took off the emotional training wheels and he's cruising along on his own, with the occasional look back smile that says, "Look, Mom!  No hands!" 

Comments

[Alisa]

You are surely a most amazing family. J-Boy has been given quite the collection of tools to fit his needs. He's a pretty awesome kid as well. Love this post.