Better Days Ahead

Wow.

Tuesday's post was quite the downer.

That's just the way it is sometimes.

But I do have some good news to tell you.

Lily has been wearing a helmet to school for the past two days.

While it's not quite the fashion statement I would choose, it does seem to be working to reduce the number of times she konks herself in the noggin.

I really think she first started hitting herself for a couple of reasons:

One - She would be frustrated with us because we were not understanding her.

Two - She would then be mad at us for not "listening" to her and giving her what she wanted.

Plus, it's one sure way to get a rise out of Mom and Dad.

Now I think the hitting has simply became a habit.

The helmet serves to lessen the impact of the hit.

And it will also help us determine if she hits to feel it in her hand or on her head.

If wearing the helmet reduces the number of hits, then maybe we can assume she wanted to "feel" her head.  Then we'll rock the helmet and try to start a trend.

If we see no change at all, we'll assume that she wants to "feel" her hands and find a way to cushion those or offer alternative ways to use her hands, such as squeezing play-dough or digging through buckets of uncooked rice.

Make sense?

As you can see, much of what we do around here is guess.

You can read books, do research, talk to other parents.... but at the end of the day, trial and error is often the way we find a solution.

And variety is definitely the spice of life.  What works one day may not work at all the next.

When it comes to Lily, I have learned at least two things:

Planning is important.

But being willing to fly by the seat of my pants is more important.

It can mean the difference between a good day and a great one.