Whiplash

Sometimes the change of direction in mood and feelings in this house is enough to cause emotional whiplash.  It’s probably clear that some posts I write are timely indicators of real life in our family.  Yesterday was a perfect example; it was no accident that I wrote of ODD.  Combine a long holiday weekend with unusual weather, followed by a snow day, and…  So I prepared my blog post as a reassurance that I was doing OK, and reading the linked research article to remind myself how much worse things used to be.

There are times when, five minutes after conflagration, someone shows up with a hug and, “Mom, I love you!” while I’m still shaking with anger, disappointment, and fear that we could lose a child down a black hole of sociopathic behavior.  Sounds like an exaggeration, right?  No; in fact, some of the explanations we’ve heard sound like they’re coming from a kid who inhabits a completely different reality than the one we’re in. Dearest is the one who first referred to that feeling as ‘emotional whiplash’, and it feels like a pretty accurate description.

One of our daily struggles is with music practice, as Speed Racer feels like one run through each piece, in double time, with mistakes in every measure, constitutes ‘practice’.  It isn’t that he doesn’t like to play, he just feels like playing all his music takes a lot longer than the seven actual minutes of playing time he just had – classic ADHD, right there.  His adamant refusal to look at a clock, use a timer, or find some other way to keep track and ensure he is playing each piece at least twice is ODD digging in its heels. 

How ironic, then, that our music teacher called just as I was finishing my post to tell me that Boyo had an exceptionally good lesson on the piano and the trumpet yesterday afternoon.  We spent a few minutes talking about how much progress Boyo has made in the five years with this teacher, and how much he enjoys working with Boyo.  What a great call to receive right at bedtime – and yes, I did go right upstairs to interrupt while Dearest was saying goodnight amidst the jokes and giggles to tell Boyo about the call.  Oh, when those blue eyes are sparkling and the dimples are showing: what a perfect way to end the day.  ♥

Martina Behm's 22.5 Degrees pattern knitted with
Lion Brand 'Amazing' in Olympia and Arcadia colors.

One of the favorite knits from two years ago was this 22.5 Degrees scarf.  Might not protect one from emotional whiplash, but it sure keeps one's neck warm!