Kids cry. A lot. They are learning how to negotiate the world in little bodies that don’t always do what they want them to, and with little mouths that don’t always say the words they wish they could. Oh, and the grown-ups in charge of them don’t let them do what they want. EVER. Just because we’re mean and we take pleasure out of torturing little kids. Okay, I’m obviously joking, but sometimes you have to laugh or you’ll cry yourself. Check out this pin I found on pinterest about reasons kids cry:
I was dying when I saw these. Sometimes a mom just needs a good laugh to keep her sanity. Just go to pinterest and type “reason my son is crying” into the search bar to see more 🙂
All that said, kids get frustrated a lot by things we don’t necessarily understand, but it is very real to them at the time. This is especially true with kiddos on the autism spectrum, and even more so when they struggle with language. All the therapy that we do with our little guys can make them very frustrated and cry because it is hard. Therapists don’t take the time to come and work with them on the stuff that they can already do, they push them to do the things they struggle with. Although it can be hard on us to hear our kids cry and be frustrated, sometimes that is actually the sound of them growing and learning.
I’m not saying it’s easy. My heart breaks when my sons are crying. But saving them from those frustrating moments now can rob them of a teachable moment or some real progress on their goals later. When I dropped my son off at day care yesterday he was a mess because he didn’t want to wash his hands and follow the routines of the room. I almost said just forget it, and pulled him out to take him home. But, his therapist assured me he would be fine so I left. About 20 minutes later, she texted me this picture of him participating in circle time, on his own.
Had I taken him home to make it “easier” on him, he wouldn’t have gotten the experience of calming himself and choosing to participate in an appropriate activity with his peers on his own. Maybe it was hard on me, but letting him work through it was in his own best interest. Giving your kids the room they need to grow is one of the hardest parts of parenting, I think, but also one of the places where you can feel the most reward.