 Our girls are very excited for Easter. They are counting down the days, which is a little harder for Kate because Time is such an abstract concept. The calendar helps and she knows it will be very soon.
The Easter bunny will hide eggs just like in any other home, and the girls will run around collecting them with bright eyes and excitement at the race. The difference is, Kate won't eat them, or any other Easter treat that comes her way, because her food aversion is too much. Not only could she not eat a food that was NOT on her list, which has diminished in recent months, she will likely not be able to eat much at all on a day where there is so much excitement and so much unpredictability. She eats AERO bars, you know. How random is that? For some reason, that chocolate is okay. It has been since she was very little and it's a food that has never dropped off her list of few foods. Walking through the grocery store today, I browsed the aisles where the Easter Bunny might shop and found myself feeling sad that none of these sweet treats would appeal to our Kate. There are worse problems I know. How silly of me to get emotional in the candy aisle at the grocery store, today. So what, her palette is limited, she doesn't seem to mind. This little girl will wake up and be thrilled to collect eggs with her sister and see what the Easter Bunny brought her but I still felt that bit of sadness that comes along when you least expect it. I wish she could enjoy these things with us. I wish autism didn't always have to get in her way. It reminded me of Halloween. A night she adores, as she runs around collecting bag after bag of treats she will never eat. I feel selfish for allowing myself to be sad because my little girl won't/can't eat the sweet treats. I bought her an AERO bar, just in case that Bunny forgets and I'll place it on the chair where the Rabbit always leaves her a new book and some Easter shoes. It looked pitiful in my bag next to the very decorative and gourmet treats I bought for her sister but it is what she likes and what will make her happy, and it should make me happy, too.
7 Comments
Tara
3/19/2016 04:32:27 pm
I totally understand getting emotional in the candy section. My son is anaphylatic to milk protein (all dairy). Today I was out Easter shopping. As I watched other parents being so carefree while picking out Easter treats, I pick up the usual gummies and jellybeans. I feel a lump in my throat and wonder if there will ever be an Easter or Halloween when my son can enjoy the treats like other children do? By the time I get to the car the lump in my throat has disappeared and I remember how much my son loves Easter, maybe more than Christmas. For him it's about the experience. The hunting of the eggs and the surprises inside. Truth be told most of the Easter candy will end up sitting in a basket in the pantry for months untouched. In years to come he won't remember eating the candy but he will remember finding the eggs, as I'm sure your girls will too.
Carolyn McCoy
3/19/2016 04:33:47 pm
As a mom, we doubt ourselves for so much and mourn our lack of the perfection we think we see in others. The kids who will eat the candy? They'll likely fight with their siblings over it, complain over the healthy food on the table for supper, and go to bed with a tummy ache. Perhaps Kate is on the right track and the rest of us aren't! (If there is something that Kate would like that you could hide in those plastic eggs, I have dozens that I will happily pass along to you. I can even decorate some to look like TMNT if she's still into them. Sara T knows how to reach me!
Grama
3/19/2016 05:10:10 pm
Easter Bunnie will bring Kate her favourite, Pomodori Chicken Pesto Pizza 🐰 Grama will make sure of that 😘💞
2tuff2care
3/19/2016 06:46:24 pm
My eye is leaking .
Vasia Procopos
3/20/2016 01:01:54 am
Well, Di had the same problem when she was young and we just kept at it (food aversion is a problem for people who have never experienced it) to make a long story short she is now on her first diet! (5 lbs over) When I got her meal plan I cringed when I saw 2 cookies on the list and thought Oh Oh all hell's gonna break out so I was comatosed when she put 2 cookies on her plate. When you least expect it....
Lys
10/30/2016 03:45:10 pm
You know how some parents bribe their kids to be good during shopping trips? Me either lol.... But in case you do, my 4yo's most recent treat for himself was a calculator. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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