A story about raising a happy and positive ADHD and Autistic mini-warrior (aged 8)
Some little learnings that have helped our diverse family navigate everyday misdemeanours and the occasional 😉 mischief!
Our world is a little noisier, a bit more sensitive and we have a few difficult social hurdles to jump. But we’ve found our flow, we know what works for us
So here’s a few tricks and tips from a different side of the parenting fence…
First rule of parenting our different tribe: love your difference
Second rule: choose your battles
- Not all ‘bad’ behaviour is bad. It’s often the scratch on the surface of confusion, fear, misunderstanding, hormones, anxiety and even sadness. So we try to listen before we shout
- Schedules help everyone… and planning can be the best thing in the world. Surprises are fun for birthdays, but can be a little bit scary sometimes for children
- We warn when things are about to happen or about to stop to help smooth transitions and help us avoid distress… like when a playdate is coming to an end or if we want to go outside. Soft countdowns… 5 mins, 2 mins, 1 min and time to stop or go… give a child time to adjust
- Verbal noises/ sounds can really help little minds that struggle with focus and attention - a little whistle, tongue click or soft clap. Just enough to turn a head and get eye contact
- Talk about emotions… a really big and important part. Let the child know it’s okay the feel different things and encourage them to explore and talk about the good feelings - and the not so good like worry, fear, bad behaviour, anger, anxieties and aggression
- Addressing emotions opens the door to understanding and helps little ones address how their actions can make others feel
- Books that address emotions are like little portals of parenting gold…. Reading to children helps them learn about themself, the world, life and why it’s nic to be nice. Books can make raising the future, a lot easier
- Find your tribe. People you can talk to, relate to, that can support you and that inspire you. It’s a two way relationship, and you will find that you can support them
And finally - everyone’s normal is different. Our normal is not your normal. With a little empathy comes a lot of kindness
...and remember, it really is okay to be not okay. Try to be kind to yourself. Everything's better together, so share and half the burden
How Uh Oh Milo! books can really help children understand about behaviours and help make parenting a whole lot easier.
Author Kate Wogan originally worked with a child psychologist to ensure that Uh Oh Milo! picture books the stories and book characters all worked together to help early years and preschool children understand about the behaviors in the book - in FUN ways.
Here’s how...
- Big bright words that jump off the page really hold attention
- The lyrical rhymes allow brains that may wander to engage with the story - like a song. It’s fun and short and it makes everyone laugh
- There’s that special hidden message that resonates in a relatable context; ‘I can identify with Milo’, I’m SO Mary…. ‘That’s like my Granny’... I can definitely be an Imp when I’m playing’... ‘it’s is not nice to eat like a Goblin, but i think I do sometimes’
Happy, kind kids who understand manners make everyone’s life a bit easier
Parenting made easy - and always fun - the Uh Oh Milo! Way