Pulling in the Welcome Mat

You know how when you go to Moe's and open the door everyone yells, "Welcome to Moe's!". Well, I have the feeling that the next time we go, they are going to yell "Not You Again!"

The kids and I were set to have a loverly lunch with Miss Meggie, a.k.a. The Tickle Monster. Well, Boo (my oldest) was already out of sorts having been made to give up The Precious (my iTouch) so his sister (Snoo) could have a turn. Bams (the baby) is in that stage where whenever I get out of eyesight, he turns into a snotty mess, but it is the cutest snotty mess you have ever seen.

This can't end well, right?

We start to eat. Both Boo and Snoo are inhaling their quesadillas so they can call dibs on The Precious. Bams is still recovering from the trauma of me leaving to purchase our victuals. In the midst of all the confusion, Boo knocks over his drink. Now the Boo has high functioning autism. Part of his special little cocktail of autism is various sensory issues. He is already wearing jeans the texture of which he detests, and wet jeans are just going to knock him over the proverbial edge.

We are trying to sop up some of the wetness and come up with a new seating plan that meets Boo's rigid standard of what is acceptable. While going to collect more napkins, Boo slips on a piece of ice from his spilled drink and wipes out on the floor. Major meltdown occurs. Ah, the joys of autism. I can understand any kid being upset, but we are talking weeping and wailing of apocalyptic proportions coming from what appears to be a neurotypical eight year old.

Now having a kid with autism has brought me to a place where I could care less of what people think of me and my parenting skills, because they can never understand the challenges of autism, and I could never explain it to them. But I do want to help bring Boo to a place where he can know the satisfaction of controlling his emotions and being able to function in society.

By the time we sooth the Boo and restore order to the scene, I am about ready to throw in the taco and call it a day. But Miss Meggie takes the baby and everyone calms down so Momma can finish her lunch.

Just thinking about it right now exhausts me. I do love me some Moe's. However, I don't know if Moe's or I can handle another lunch like that anytime soon.