Thank You Wonder Pets!

Both my boys go to speech at least once a week. My youngest son, he struggles with something called receptive language. Which means that he can talk to you, but he's not quite always able to understand exactly what you're trying to tell him. Often times, when he really wants to convey things to you, he will simply state what would normally be the subject of the sentence and not what he wants you to know about the subject. It's frustrating for everyone involved. His other issue is that everything was "yesterday". It's never 'this morning' or 'a couple of days ago', it's always "yesterday".

So, his SLP gave me what sounds like a simple chore...give him directions in sequential order. Example, first you put the toothpaste on your toothbrush, then you brush your teeth and last you spit. Sounds easy enough when you're given an example, but I'm so not good on the fly. I'm the ridiculous girl in the horror movie that panics and drops her keys, or trips on a log that's clearly visible. Under pressure I loose all momentum, all thoughts and any sense of any kind.

I spent the whole day with him yesterday and couldn't think of a reasonable thing to say to him other than the brushing the teeth thing! How ridiculous am I really? Today between running to my oldest son's orthodontist appointment and then to his orthotist appointment for his feet/ankle braces. I just didn't really have time to think of anything new.

Sitting on the couch at the end of the night, my youngest son asks to watch his newly found, favorite show, Wonder Pets. So, as he sits there fidgeting his bony bum and elbows into my side and I'm trying to figure out where the little minion hid his pants, it dawned on me. No, not where the pants were - I actually had to go get a new pair, my little guy thinks clothes are optional every day! It dawned on me though that his beloved show, whose theme song I used to sing every time my phone rang, was the answer to my prayers! We watched a dinosaur episode tonight and I literally got to say: First they pulled, then they pushed and last they....fill in the blank.... When I asked him to repeat, after about the third repetition, he understand what I was asking him to do and actually complied!

I was so excited and ready to jump up and do the happy dance that mortifies anyone around me, when he dug his elbow into my side to get more comfy. Seriously, how do these kids get so bony?! They're suppose to be all soft, cuddly and not poky.

I digress. My point is that today, I am thankful for silly, overlooked, daily things. Without that show, I'm quite sure I would be into Monday, when his next SLP appointment is and have nothing to report. As the show quite blatantly boasts:

Linny, Tuck and Ming Ming too. We're Wonder Pets and we'll help you!

Thank you Wonder Pets, thank you!