Good vs. Not-so-Good Surprises

Surprises in Riley World have evolved considerably over the years.  What could have been a trigger for a meltdown when he was 4 or 5, became upsetting at age 10, tolerable at 13 and manageable at 15.  What brought about these changes?  Honestly, I really can’t say for sure.  I think it was a variety of things.  Some of it was due to maturity, some things we worked on consciously and a LOT we discovered by fluke.  ;P       

Here are a few examples that can still send shivers up and down my spine:

Good Surprise:   Bringing home McDonald’s for R when he wasn’t expecting it.

Not-so-Good:     Opening the bag to realize they packed a “Large” fries instead of a “Medium” fries.

Good Surprise:   Finding all but one of the Land Before Time plushies.

(I buy them anyways hoping he won’t notice…are you kidding…OF COURSE HE’LL NOTICE!)

Not-so-Good:     Getting all but one of the Land Before Time plushies. 

(YES HE NOTICED…AND he kept asking where the other one was!!!)   

Good Surprise:   Staying in a hotel with a pool.

Not-so-Good:     Heading to the pool (R has goggles on of course) only to find the pool is closed for maintenance.

Good Surprise:   Watching his favourite movie on a handheld device when you’re out.

Not-so-Good:     The battery dies after 10 minutes.

And finally, R’s latest “obsession”:

Good Surprise:    Getting the free Realtor pads of paper used as advertisement.

Better Surprise:  Getting the “Kasha Riddle” pads of paper (she uses glossy paper!)

Not-so-Good:      Getting the pads of paper that aren’t the “right” size.

Although R can still have difficulty expressing his wants/needs verbally, the “not-so-good” surprises are usually “manageable” and fewer and farther between.  I never thought I would agree with the saying “This too shall pass”…yet the possibility doesn’t see so far fetched anymore.

D