For those of you who dont know us personally, Jude is Alden's (slightly) older brother. They are 15 months apart. Jude doesn't remember life before Alden and as scary as having two little ones so close together was just after Alden's birth, it has worked out so nicely for our family. I remember shortly after Alden's diagnosis being just as devastated for Jude as I was for Alden. Honestly maybe even more so for him. I never wanted Jude to feel left out or second fiddle because things would be so different for each of them. We worked our way through the muddy waters of parenting which is hard enough on its own but really difficult when you are parenting one nuerotypical and one nuerodiverse. We tackled our fair share of questions but Jude has ALWAYS been SO loving, kind and understanding with Alden and with us as we explain how despite their close age there are different expectations for each. Jude has always been an old soul and we have always told him what a beautiful gift he is from God to us and our family. God knew we would need an exceptional child to compliment our other exceptional child.
With that being said, my sweet adorable little boy is hitting an age where he's honestly getting on my nerves fairly regularly by testing his limits and just being.... annoying. Sorry I seem to lack a graceful way of putting it . I've never parented an 8 yr old before but I gotta say, it's making me super nervous about the teen years. We have had our spells of a couple rough days in a row but for now, he is still USUALLY my super fun, unique, old man trapped in a little boys body. Just yesterday he had been helping his brother with his shoes, painting a beautiful mountain scene from water colors, offering to help with chores around the house, going shopping with me where he picked out a new book on chemistry and sushi for dinner! He really is a cool kid, and I don't think I'm being biased, you seriously might wanna hang out with him sometime. I just have to remember these moments when he's being a 'normal' 8 yr old and has selective hearing. Requiring being asked 5 times to do something or those times when he suddenly turns back into a toddler because something isn't going his way.
So for the past 7 years we have been trying to figure out how to perfectly balance everything to make sure everyone's needs are being met. I don't think we are the only parents who are pretty sure we are messing our kids up. On the other hand, there are times I see my children shine and I sigh a breath of relief knowing we must be doing something right. Despite the new 'big kid' attitude Jude has been experimenting with, I think my kids are pretty stinking cute and just down right awesome. We thank God daily for the gift of our boys and how perfectly they were made to be brothers and a part of our family. We love you Jude the dude <3
With that being said, my sweet adorable little boy is hitting an age where he's honestly getting on my nerves fairly regularly by testing his limits and just being.... annoying. Sorry I seem to lack a graceful way of putting it . I've never parented an 8 yr old before but I gotta say, it's making me super nervous about the teen years. We have had our spells of a couple rough days in a row but for now, he is still USUALLY my super fun, unique, old man trapped in a little boys body. Just yesterday he had been helping his brother with his shoes, painting a beautiful mountain scene from water colors, offering to help with chores around the house, going shopping with me where he picked out a new book on chemistry and sushi for dinner! He really is a cool kid, and I don't think I'm being biased, you seriously might wanna hang out with him sometime. I just have to remember these moments when he's being a 'normal' 8 yr old and has selective hearing. Requiring being asked 5 times to do something or those times when he suddenly turns back into a toddler because something isn't going his way.
So for the past 7 years we have been trying to figure out how to perfectly balance everything to make sure everyone's needs are being met. I don't think we are the only parents who are pretty sure we are messing our kids up. On the other hand, there are times I see my children shine and I sigh a breath of relief knowing we must be doing something right. Despite the new 'big kid' attitude Jude has been experimenting with, I think my kids are pretty stinking cute and just down right awesome. We thank God daily for the gift of our boys and how perfectly they were made to be brothers and a part of our family. We love you Jude the dude <3
Comments
Post a Comment