Good morning you guys. Happy, happy caregiver Thursday. I hope you guys are doing well today and I'm excited to be here with you. We have a good lineup here today. We've got Shannon and Colleen and Speak Wonder and the Shannon Paul and JC. So you guys are in for a good caregiver treat today with all the contributors. My kids are home this morning so if you guys hear some chaos, that's what's happening here in good old summertime. I love my family so much but you know and I'm ready for school to start.
Let's be real here. So we are in a lot of transitions right now. My son is about to start middle school. Good morning. Good to see you. My son is starting middle school next week and my daughter will be starting second grade August 8. So we're all in transitioning and my husband. Good morning Jules. My husband who's a teacher has gone back to school. So we are just juggling, we are juggling caring for the kids and finding the camps and keeping them occupied with work and just you know living in the chaos right now and we are going to get on our routine sooner, sooner than later.
We will definitely get on our routine. So you guys I have my hug in a mug, a cup of coffee this morning and it says see the good. This is actually my focus for today. Oh thank you Speak Wonder. That's so sweet. This is my focus for the day to see the good. You guys we need to see the good. So I'm not to a point of toxic positivity but we you know we need to see the good and the chaos. This is what I'm working on personally. So for those of you who I have not met yet, I am a mom of two children. I have an 11 year old and a seven year old who has autism.
Professionally I work with hospitalized children and their families. I also battle with anxiety. So a whole mix and I'm just speaking to you from my own lived experience and I'm going to be open and honest with you guys like it has been it has been a week. It has been a week. We were making progress with my daughter who has autism and she she was making progress with her behaviors and aggression and we were starting to see this light. Oh yes Jules we can be in the chaotic households together. I just like the adventure.
So we were starting to see the light and starting to really celebrate these little winds. She got up on stage and performed at the end of her performing arts camp. She was getting dressed and actually compliant with brushing her teeth before we made it out the door before camp. So you know really just focusing on these winds and this past week her aggression has been really really challenging and she's been receiving ABA therapies in the home three days a week and so she has a BCBA and RBT that do ABA therapy with her at the house and to try to help her and us manage some of her behaviors better and help her with some of this rigidity and just really help her and us to be successful and to help her you know grow developmentally and socially.
Anyway she has been very aggressive with them her therapist and with us this week and it is in heart and it has been saddening for us to see her go through this to see her deal with this and you know for us to see that we're all going through such a challenging time and you know we were starting to see the light and now we're just trying to still find those little glimpses okay where can we see the good in this because it is it has been a struggle you know it's hard not to blame yourself. I love the cadre post in the community the other day that said you're doing your best and it said sometimes you're best it's different right it's different yesterday it's different today than it will be tomorrow but it's all good and I love that it resonated with me so much because you know what we are doing our best with her right now and we are getting her the therapies she needs we are all getting help going to therapy to help our family thrive right now and to help us all be successful human beings so we're doing what we need to do and also trying to find the time for self-care which sometimes may just be taking a good shower that day it just depends on the day you know best is different every day so we are doing what we can we are doing our best and I know that healing and life in general is not linear it's going to come in waves and I know that we will be likely helping her succeed for as long as we are living so that that is our challenge right now and we're just trying to get through this so focusing on seeing the good and the little glimpses of goodness that are around us and you know sitting down with her and then I after her last big outburst and seeing how she interacts with our dog and how loving she is with her she's like an animal whisperer and you know focusing on that and focusing on the fact that she's wanting to read different books now and it's not just the same one or two and you know she is making progress in different ways and we're here to help her and it 's not going to be easy and and I feel like it's like that in a lot of caregivers lives whether you're caring for a child or an aging adult or a patient and we need to you know say hey where are these little glimpses of goodness in the struggle because you know what it isn't easy it is hard it is hard and it can be good too it can be good too so I challenge you guys this week to do the same with me and and just look for the little glimpses of goodness because they are all around us um and thank you guys thank you for being there with me today I am actually off to my therapy appointment for my own self-care today so cheers to you guys from my hug and a mug to you and um sending you love and hugs all right y'all have a good day bye-bye enjoy your Thursday
