Party Overstimulation

This is Baby having fun while we waited for Brother and Sister to get to their dances. She just loves the swing. (It's a sensory thing - check it out.) Don't you just love her rainbow eyes?

We had so much fun at out Memorial Day BBQ that we decided we would have another one 3 days later...

ya, we are crazy like that.

We had a great turn out and the food everyone brought was beyond great! We had smoked ribs, dutch oven (from me, of course), baked beans, salads, shrimp dip, fruits, layered cake, banana pudding and all other kinds of treats! Mmmm mmm!

I even arranged an activity for the kids to keep busy at for a bit. I made cupcakes and they got to frost and decorate them. It was a total hit.

Sister was very into it, she wouldn't even look up for a picture.

I also learned that maybe 2 big, huge parties at our house in one week may have been just a little too much for my kids. Brother stayed in the house most of the time watching TV and Avery got so overstimulated that she bit one of her friends. I was mortified.

I felt so bad and went to console the little girl and her mom. When I sat down to talk to them I was welcomed with open arms as the little girl's mom, Amanda, went on to tell me that everything had been explained about Sister being overstimulated and not knowing how to channel her energy. Amanda also explained to her daughter that it wasn't because Sister was mad or angry, just overwhelmed. Then my other friend and neighbor, Brittany, came to sit by me and reassure me that it was all OK. I sat in between my new friends and started to cry, no only because I was embarrassed but, because I was so appreciative of their full understanding and acceptance of our children.

I am so grateful for the people in my life who love our kids even when they are not fun and bubbly.

We are not going to stop having parties because of this incident.

Rather, we will just cut back a little.

My kids (as you saw in a previous post) are making friends and having so much fun meeting people and doing new things. It is so important that we, as parents, give our children as many opportunities to grow and learn as are possible and tolerated.

I don't want to shield them from everything that may be hard for them or they will never learn to cope, but I do have to know their limits.

And I am not ashamed to admit that, on that day, having performed that morning at the school dance festival in front of so many people, having to accept it was the last day of school and bus rides for 3 months, and then having 30+ people in her space for 3 hours was just too much for her sweet, little, Fragile X body to soak in.