When you have a neurodiverse child, you are constantly learning about how to parent them as their behaviour is often very unpredictable. There are lovely moments of course when they snuggle up to you or say they love you but there can be sudden moments when their personality suddenly changes. The other week, we went to the library after school as it was too cold and wet for the park. We bought some biscuits there, started looking at the books and Oscar said he wanted to use the computers. I try to persuade Oscar to go on MyMaths or another game from school but he prefers to look at the weather website or look at the computer settings. I don’t know how he did it but he managed to change the orientation of the screen. Not to worry, I’ll try and help him revert it, I thought, unprepared for the outburst.

Oscar is now getting an independent boy who knows what he wants and there was no way he was letting me near the mouse. He kept screaming, we tried to restart the computer, all the while he was getting more and more angry. My anxiety levels were increasing as we were in a busy place and I just wanted to get home for tea. Eventually he managed to log out of the computer and the screen was back to normal. Phew!

Because of my stressed state of mind, I forgot that Oscar wants to put his woolly hat on even if we are going home in the car, so desperate I was to leave the library, and I left it in the bag. Big mistake. He shouted at me all the way home and lashed out when we had parked in the driveway. He was obviously taking his frustration out at me but I was so upset and it took me a while to calm down from the shock. I felt deflated.

Within a few minutes of being home it was as if nothing had happened. He ate his tea and went to bed normally but he did tell his dad what he had done so he does know he was in the wrong. As he gets stronger and eventually taller than me (my 9 year old daughter is almost my height) I do worry about how his frustration at life will affect him.

There is no parenting book for any child and we all have to take things day by day. Some days are very hard but then the next day will be better and your child will do something that makes you proud. Keep going.