MELTDOWN BECAUSE OF A MILKSHAKE

HURRAY   JACK IN THE BOX IMPROVED THEIR MILKSHAKES! DID YOU KNOW THAT  OR DID YOU EVEN NOTICE THAT THE LAST TIME YOU WENT THERE??? YES THEY HAVE PUT THE MILKSHAKE IN A DIFFERENT CLEAR PLASTIC  GLASS  WITH A DOME TOP SO THEY CAN PUT WHIPPED CREAM  AND A CHERRY ON TOP---GREAT YOU SAY MORE FOR THE MONEY

WELL NOT FOR A KID WITH AUTISM AND OCD-- DONT THEY REALIZE THEY JUST SCREWED WITH THE ROUTINE?? OF COURSE NOT ! DONT MISUNDERSTAND ME I KNOW THAT THINGS WILL CHANGE ;THINGS WILL EVOLVE AND PRODUCTS ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING TO APPEAL TOP A WIDER CONSUMER BASE BUT IN THE EYES  OF AN AUTISTIC THEY JUST TURNED  THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN.

YESTERDAY WE WENT TO JACK IN THE BOX TO GET THE ""USUAL""ORDER AND FOR ABOUT THE 3 RD OR 4 TH TIME THE QUESTION WAS ""DO YOU STILL WANT THE MILKSHAKE?"" "I DONT KNOW!"  "I DONT CARE ANYMORE!" AS THE MOOD IN THE CAR BEGINS TO ESCALATE.  "OK" I SAY AND I GO AHEAD AND ORDER THE DAMN SHAKE KNOWING THAT IT WILL BE WASTED BUT PAYING 2 BUCKS IS A SMALL PRICE TO PAY TO AVOID A BEHAVIOR THAT CAN SCREW UP THE WHOLE DAY --AT LEAST THATS MY THINKING SO WE GO THRU THE DRIVE THRU AND GET THE ORDER EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE  OK AND WE GET HOME. A LITTLE ATTITUDE BUT IT SEEMS TO BE OK. WE START TO GET THE FOOD OUT ON THE TABLE AND GOD FORBID I COMMITTED THE SIN OF ALL SINS  I REACHED INTO THE PLASTIC DOME OF THE MILKSHAKE AND STARTED TO PUT THE CHERRY IN MY MOUTH AND HERE STARTS THE TORNADO----""WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY SHAKE??--SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS"" "ITS  OK HERES THE CHERRY BACK I JUST TOOK THE WHIPPED CREAM OFF THE CHERRY'' "YOU CANT DO THAT!" AND THE MELTDOWN  ENSUES---

HE STARTED TO GROWL AND LUNGE TOWARD ME  CALLING ME A VARIETY OF NAMES.THEN HE STARTED TO GET PHYSICAL TOWARD ME HE GRABBED MY FACE AND I TOLD HIM TO LET GO AND TOLD HIM THAT IF HE GRABBED A STRANGER THEY WOULD FIGHT BACK AND HE HAD BETTER LEARN HOW TO WALK AWAY OR NOT TOUCH SOMEONE BUT HE INSISTED ON PURSUING SQUASHING MY FACE SO I BROKE LOOSE AND SWATTED HIM WITH AN OPEN HAND ON THE BACK WELL THAT JUST ENFURIATED HIM EVEN MORE THEN HE STARTED COMING AT ME SWINGING HIS ARMS SO I STOOD THERE AND LET HIM SWAT AT ME -- THEN HE GRABBED MY HAND AND WANTED ME TO HIT HIM BACK AND I TOLD HIM --NO I WAS NOT GOING TO DO THAT -- IF HE WAS ANGRY HE WOULD HAVE TO WORK IT OUT HIMSELF BUT I WAS DONE .

I TRIED TO DIRECT HIM TO THE BEDROOM BUT HE WAS HAVING NONE OF THAT STRATEGY. HE WAS JUST BEHIND HIMSELF SO THEN HE DECIDED HE WAS GOING TO CALL THE POLICE AND HAVE ME "TAKEN AWAY" I  EXPLAINED  TO HIM THAT I WOULDNT BE THE ONE TO BE TAKEN AWAY IF THE POLICE CAME AND SAW THE RED MARKS ON MY ARMS -- HE JUST COULDNT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WOULDNT TAKE MOM AWAY--WHEN HE HEARD THAT INFORMATION HE WAS EVEN MORE PISSED HE TOLD ME" TO GET OUTTA HERE"

THEN I SAID WHO WILL HELP YOU IN THE BATHROOM AND SHOWER? WHOS GONNA DO YOUR WASH AND HELP YOU GET FOOD IN YOUR BELLY? "I WILL DO IT MYSELF" I SAID "OK I GUESS I AM LEAVING THEN."

AT FIRST HE WAS FINE WITH IT BUT WHEN I FINALLY STARTED FOR THE DOOR WITH MY PURSETHE  BEHAVIOR ALL OF A SUDDEN  DEFLATED                                  I HEAR  "I'M SORRY MOMMA"  I SAID "NO I WILL LEAVE"    HE SAID "NO MOMMA  DONT LEAVE"   AND THAT WAS ABOUT THE END OF THE BEHAVIOR.

IT IS SO HARD TO WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND WHAT OUR KIDS GO THROUGH AND YOU HAVE TO KEEP  REMINDING  YOURSELF THAT THEIR HEADS ARE IN CHAOS AND CANT DECIFER  THE STATIC  THAT INFUSES THEIR BRAINS. IN THE HEAT  OF THE MOMENT ITS SO EASY TO REACT LIKE YOU WOULD WITH A TYPICAL PERSON OR CHILD . ALL ALONG YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE TO AMINTAIN AS MUCH CALM AND PEACE AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE IT IS IN FACT THE ONLY THING THAT WILL BRING OUR KIDS BACK TO "OUR WORLD" WHEN THEIR BODIES  CANT.

SO THE NEXT TIME YOU GO TO JACK IN THE BOX HAVE A MILKSHAKE AND THINK ABOUT YOUR MANY BLESSINGS AND HOW EASY IT WAS TO ORDER THAT BEVERAGE AND NOT HAVE                                 A MELTDOWN OVER A MILKSHAKE!