An Ordinary Mom's Musings

I have a child with Autism who needs routines to keep him calm and regulated. Recently, I started back to school. This requires me to be very deliberate in everything I do, to make sure I’m accomplishing everything.

But I HATE routines!!!

-Like seriously hate them.

Years ago when I taught preschool, I would have nicely laid out lesson plans which I would follow. For about 2 weeks. . . And then I would throw the routine out the window because I couldn’t stand the idea of doing things exactly the same way every day. Or being told by a piece of paper what I “should” be doing, even I was the person who wrote it!

Routines make me feel hemmed in and stuck. I would spend the next several days inserting unexpected things into our routine or changing it completely up. Doing this makes me happy. It’s part of who I am.

Enter the child with Autism, who needs the same routine day in and day out. He loves it if the change in routine means less work for him, like Christmas break. Come January and it’s time to go back to school, life is miserable for all of us until he gets back into his routine. (Christmas break can also cause it’s own problems because he doesn’t have a routine and things are unexpected which throws him off.) Bedtime and morning routines are especially important for him. (And me! Who wants to get him up out of bed at 5:45 am all during Christmas break so he can maintain his schedule??? Not me!)

Going back to school has meant that I have to be very deliberate and have a routine. I’m mentally screaming inside at it!  Saturdays bring me great joy because I’m not chained to a routine that must be the same. All day. I can sleep in! Or bake, or read, or catch up on all the things that I didn’t have time to do during the week.

Likely it’s a character flaw in me. It’s something that The Good Lord gives me opportunities throughout my life to change and become better at. It’s something I always feel like I am failing in as a mother with a child who experiences Autism.