Being the TYPICAL Kid

In a not so typical family..... can be hard. It seems like it would be OK but Colin suffers his own form of "survivor's guilt". Keep in mind, he is the only kid who has never received special "attention" as he sees it. He doesn't see it as therapy. He sees it as something "special".

  If you know Colin you know he is the worrier of them family. Just last week when I was talking to them about Calleigh going into the hospital for surgery he said "Mom, she is just a little girl. Why does she have to go through so much surgery?"

 He stays up later at night and he thinks about stuff. If you lay in bed with him and his is the only one awake he will talk about his worries. I am not saying he is a sad kid just a thinker.


He has come up with a list of things he knows making him different than the other kids. I NEVER thought about any of them but he told m:

1. He is the only one with brown eyes.

2. He is the only one without an "A" in his name.

3. He is the only one "with nothing wrong with his cochleas".

4. He has darker skin coloring and everyone else is "really white".

5. And apparently, he is the only one with an "outie" belly button.

To think he is keeping a list makes me sad. We tell him all the time how lucky he is to have brown eyes like his Daddy. He has an "A" in his middle name. He is lucky he gets a nice tan.

What I find ironic is Ciaran and Cormac do not perceive themselves as "different" from anyone. They are who I was worried about because as a parent who wouldn't worry? We worry they might be made fun of or teased.

  I guess it's all in his perception. He thinks Ciaran, Cormac and Calleigh are getting lots of extra time with "different" people. I have tried taking him and spending alone time with him but that is not what he wants. Before we moved we an awesome artist was seeing him once a week for an hour. He volunteered his time. It was great and he felt really special. The guy is an amazing cartoonist and he would draw Iron Man with him. When we moved we had to stop seeing him. He still asks about him.

I hope he never feels like we didn't pay as much attention to him as the other kids.  That is simply not true.  I am trying to think of what I can do to make him feel better.  He is such a sweet, sweet boy.  I don't want him to ever feel bad.  I don't want him to ever feel different.  Colin is so special in so many ways.  He is so smart.  I mean really smart.  He is kind.  He wears his heart on his sleeve.  His feeling are easily hurt.  He tells me more than any of the kids how much he loves me, how he thinks I am beautiful.  He never wants to hurt anyone's feelings.  We have a running joke in the house about who makes better eggs, me or Frank.  He will NEVER chose one of us.  He always says we both make the best eggs. 

  He loves anything to do with building.  He can name any tool you will ever need and knows it's purpose. He builds "contraptions" in the back yard for many purposes.  I seriously think he might be  an engineer even though he says he wants to be a Vet.  He would spend his life outside if we let him.  When Ciaran and Coramc come in from the yard he will stay out there building for hours.  Like I said, he is a thinker.

I am not sure what I can do about it.  It's not a daily occurance but it's something that comes up here and there.  When he gets upset about something is when it tends to come out.  I am trying to think of something for him to do he will perceive as special.  He doesn't want alone time with me because I tried that out.  I had someone who had volunteered to work with him once a week and he loved it.  The guy was an amazing artist.  The first week he drew the most outstanding Iron Man and Colin was hooked..  Colin LOVED it and still asks for him but since we moved he can't go any longer. 

Anyone else have this issue with their "typical" kid???