Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Toasted Again!

The girls got off the bus today, smiling because neither of them had homework. Hope's smile didn't last long. She came through the door and said"I got to peepee" and promptly wet her pants. I went up with her so she could get cleaned up and changed. It was raining all day, so I put on a movie and made them popcorn. I told them to sit down and gave each of them their own bowl.  Several minutes later, Hope dropped her bowl and had popcorn all around her. I told her to pick it up. She said NO! I said "Pick it up or you will be sitting in time out". She said NO! again. I picked her up and put in the time out chair. She fell to the floor and tried to bite me. I picked her up and said "We do not bite in this house". She promptly wet her pants and said "I hate you". I ignored that and put her back in the time out chair and she was gone. Spitting, screeching, scratching, and trying to bite. I carried her into the kitchen (away from the audience) and sat on the floor, restraining her just enough that she couldn't hurt me. When she calmed down and was laying quietly I asked her if she was in control again. She quietly, with no attitude, said yes. I let her go and she immediately clawed my right arm. I restrained her again and she raged for the next 45 minutes, until her Daddy came home. He talked her down and after she was laying quietly again, I gave her to him. At that point, not only was I sore and tired, but I was pissed angry. We had dinner and the Dad put her to bed. The Dad and I are going to talk about building a safe room like my friend Integrity Singer did. I am already tired of being beat up and the kid hasn't turned 5 yet.

4 comments:

Sheri said...

Thinking often of you . . . here's to hoping the storm blows over soon. Lots of love.

Integrity Singer said...

yikes! (but cool that my idea might be useful to others - just FYI, Sissy has taken advantage of it and raged A LOT. it'll pass when the novelty wears off or when she can't talk anymore, which ever comes first)

what about sensory input for her straight when she gets home? I usually send AB straight to the trampoline when he gets home so he can jump out his school angst.

AB used to try biting (still does when he's really gone off the deep end) and his developmental delay doc said to just pinch his nose in the restraint because it forces him to breathe through his mouth. And I assume you know the corner restraint? This one is good and if you've got tough shins, it's considerably less painful. I make AB face a safe inside corner of the house (usually in the front entry way) and I stand behind him, holding his arms behind him in the straight jacket position. Then I bump my knees at the back of his knees so he reflexively bends and then I ease him to a crouch position but I don't back away. My shins become the "third wall" (as he crouches, I release his arms) You have to really cozy up to the wall for this technique to work - nose to the corner, literally. But it works.

AB is my only "safe" rager in the sense that I can restrain him with minimal self injury. I've only tried to restrain Sissy once and I got a pretty hard knock to my head when she head butted me. It's not worth being injured, I say.

Oh, and if she isn't sensory, wrap her up in one of those giant super plush snuggies when you restrain her because hopefully the adult size snuggy arm holes will be long enough for you to pull in a straight jacket pose with no marks or slipping (head out of course! don't want her to suffocate!)

Lisa said...

Sending hugs as I do the PTSD shake.

Anonymous said...

I do not envy the day you've had. I wish you all well and some much needed serenity. You are in my prayers.