Voyage of Discovery

Having kids is a voyage of discovery. So many different things to discover while bringing them up, so many gems of personality to help unearth. I feel though that our journey with Techno Boy has been a bit more stormy than with the other three (although we are only beginning Possum’s journey so no idea what it will bring). This is because Techno Boy has apsergers syndrome. He is different to the rest of us.

When Amber was three, Techno Boy entered our lives. Amber was a delight, and so was Techno Boy. They were very different, but that was OK, all children are different and of course boys and girls are different. We were happy. Amber was a strong personality and had taught us to let our child form there own niche in life. In our house we didn’t force square pegs into round holes, we let the little pegs create their own little holes that fit them perfectly. This was Amber’s gift to our family, children are individuals and need to make their own holes. We needed this gift to help us deal with Techno Boy. We had learned the lesson so well that we had no trouble with Techno Boy, he was a delight just like his older sister.

I had the occasional moment of concern. I remember thinking that he wasn’t getting as much attention as his sister had. I remember noticing that I didn’t play that babble game with him, we didn’t babble back and forth like I had with Amber. So I tried to play it with him, and he just wasn’t interested, so I accepted that he didn’t want to play that. After all he was an individual, it was his own choice. Another gift Amber had given us was the knowledge that breastfeeding was good for toddlers too, we had breastfed until she was 2 ¾, so we did the same for Techno Boy, in fact we fed him until he was a week shy of his third birthday. This gave him lots of cuddle time, lots of time connected to me, lots of time to feel loved and to feel safe and comfortable. Looking back I feel he really benefited from this. It was so good for him to be breastfed and held close until he was three.

When he was 3 ½ Lily was born, she was an easy baby. Lily slotted into our lives with ease, she went anywhere anywhen with no hassles. She could feed any time and sleep anywhere. Life just flowed around her, and I just took her everywhere. Her birth changed nothing, we still took Amber and Techno Boy to kindy gym, ABA meetings and school. Life really didn’t change when Lily came along, she was a delight to add to our family, fitted in with no hassles. I sometimes think Techno Boy didn’t even realise she was there. Other times he knew full well, after all I did have to sit and feed her sometimes, so he was no longer the youngest and centre of attention. He had to move out of my bed and into his own, life did move on for Techno Boy, but he was fine with it.