Insomnia, sickness and racing minds cast aside, sleep can still be the most terrifying word in the mind of an autism parent. I am sure everyone reading this blog knows exactly what I am talking about. The day-the long, hard, day-is done. Dinner has been cooked-even the special second dinner you had to cook for your picky and/or diet restricted kid. It was even served at the table with the family eating together, well mostly together. You had to keep redirecting your child-you know which one-to sit down, on his bum, in the chair. The kitchen is clean-and you even took the extra step of teaching your child to help clear the table-a task made five times as daunting as simply clearing it yourself. Today was especially successful because you even cleaned up the mess that was made while you were cleaning the kitchen. You know, the one your kid made getting into the stuff you thought you had hidden from him but obviously didn't. Tricky smart kid! Bath time. . .happened. 'Nuff said. And this was a relatively easy evening. (We won't even mention the ones that involve cleaning bodily fluids-and not so fluids-off walls and, how that heck did that get up there, ceilings.)
Now with the kids in bed all you can think about is your own pillow. You can even hear it silently chanting your name. But you know, as well as I do, that the games are only beginning at this point. You are a Tribute in the arena of sleepless nights. And your nemesis is your own offspring. If only someone would parachute a good nights sleep to you, just once. But you put your kid back to bed every 5-20 minutes until about midnight. (And if you kid is anything like mine you have to turn the bed right side up again and redress the mattress each time you put him back to bed.) When you are finally convinced he is asleep, you race to bed, eager to capture what may easily be your only window. Then, around 3:00am your kid is up, yep, for the day-and so are you.
While I do not have a miracle solve all solution for this and other problems I can share with you something that has helped tremendously. (And I am not talking about using ratchet tie downs to keep his mattress on the bed.) I am talking about Essential Oils. I use a few drops of Lavender Oil in Bren's bath each night and follow with application of 4 other Essential Oils that aid in calming and soothing. Since I have been using these, it is not uncommon to find Bren asleep by 10:00pm (as opposed to midnight or 1am) and not wake until 5:00 or 6:00am (as opposed to 3 or 4am). There have even been a couple of times I actually had to wake him up to get ready for school. I about fainted on these rare mornings.
I also use oils to help Bren focus, reduce stimming and more. I use these oils to aid in a variety of family health issues from stress and depression to ear aches and tummy aches.
If you want to learn more about these oils there will be a class held at the CCAC this week with a guest speaker.
When: Thursday, June 14, 2012
Time: 6:00pm (Child Care Provided)
Where: Kremen Ed Building Room #54
I hope you find these oils a helpful, all natural, non-drug alternative to help your child. See you Thursday!
If you are able to sit back and rest than you are probably not a regular reader of this blog. Autism awareness has no end. The world needs to know-deserves to discover-the astonishing individuals surrounding them that makeup "the spectrum". This can only be accomplished when they and we, their parents and loved ones, speak up. But we have another calling, one that tragically gets over looked all too much. In our mad race to help our children progress and grow we sometimes forget to tell our kiddos how great they are. And I am not referring to how I tell my family and friends how amazing Bren is, all the while callously talking about him as if he weren't right there with us. So here is my first, of hopefully many, attempts at redemption. 
