Tantrum Update

I’ve been so consumed with the bathroom remodeling disaster that I forgot to give you an update on our Little King David. A few weeks ago, I shared our frustrations about his behavior problems and sleep issues. We scheduled an appointment with his pediatrician and scheduled an evaluation at a pediatric development center.

In preparation for our appointments, we started keeping a daily log of David’s routine. We wrote down how he slept, what he ate, what activities he participated in that day, his mood, and each and every tantrum. Our goal was to document a typical day so a specialist could get an accurate idea of what happens with him at home.

We were shocked by what we found.

David typically has only one or two tantrums a day. Some days, he doesn’t even have one. He usually sleeps through the night once a week, but the other nights he wakes up for only about 10 minutes. He always naps well at daycare. He eats unusually well for a toddler, frequently devouring an entire plate of beets, asparagus or brussel sprouts. He even eats some of Skywalker’s vegetables because we don’t have a dog and she is a self-proclaimed meat-a-tarian. (that’s a topic for another post!) He behaves better when he has a chance to play outside and he has meltdowns when he is tired or we are having a particularly hectic day.

DUH.

We were spending so much time focusing on the fact that he was crying or not sleeping through the night that we lost our perspective. In reality, our kid is normal. He is independent, obstinate and determined. And he should be at his age.

I feel a little silly for overreacting, but I will not apologize. David’s oldest sister, Queen of Sheba, is autistic. Her condition was not accurately diagnosed until she was ten years old. She missed out on early interventions that may have significantly improved her quality of life. We pray that David will never experience her challenges, but if he does, I don’t ever want to jeopardize his treatment because of my own fears. I’d rather be vigilant and be wrong than ignore the warning signs.

I’m delighted to say that as of today, he is perfectly healthy!