Friday, June 26, 2015

I took them to a park all by myself!

Today was the first day I felt comfortable taking the triplets to play at a park all by myself. Triplets + autism for 2 of the 3 and we hit a major milestone for Tripped Up Mommy today. Feeling hopeful!

You finally took them to a park? Yes, me, alone took my trio to a local school playground all by myself without feeling like I needed Grandma or my oldest daughter or another adult or a friendly teen to be there just in case somebody takes off running. All 3 engaged with the playground equipment functionally, including my two with autism. There was even some social play occurring. For the first time ever, this Mother of multiples felt empowered and not scared to death of elopement at a park. It may seem late to others but given all of our variables, I was beginning to wonder if it could ever happen! Full disclosure: there is a fence around much of playground, however it's a huge area and the fence still allows escape points.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Be gentle today...

Be gentle with yourself and others today. Today, Fathers Day 2015, like every other good and beautiful holiday comes with its residual sense of pain too for almost everyone you see.

None of us travel through life without getting hurt and on days like today bumps and bruises, even those long healed, can somehow rise to the surface and make the memory of their presence known profoundly. For others still struggling to heal or just beginning to heal, the pain today brings is far more fresh.

So be gentle with yourself and others today because you may be interacting with:

  • A stepfather who has never had the honor of spending Father's Day with his stepchildren and can't help missing them as he receives his gifts from his own children.
  • A daughter whose father chose to take his own life and never walked her down the aisle at her wedding. Even though it hurts a little less each year, it also hurts a little more as she sees how many memories she now has without her dad.
  • A child of divorce torn between the love he holds for both his blended families and the frustration of feeling that he can never share that love wth all of them at once.
  • A mom whose husband has left her for somone else and doesn't care to share Father's Day with their children anymore. 
  • A new father struggling to understand what fatherhood means since he never knew his own.
  • A widow who looks at her family and wishes she could hold their Daddy's hand one last time.
The list could go on and I'm sure we can all add our own bump, bruise, or even deep wound that gets opened today. So be gentle with yourself and others - a few extra hugs may go a very long way today.