Welcome to my crazy house blog. What a beautiful fall day, the air is crisp, the sun is shining, I spilt a half cup of coffee all over myself, and the kids are fighting about which YouTuber they like the best. Yup going to be a great day. How is your day going so far?
So I was cleaning out my son’s room last night, and I thought I would share with you what I found in his room and my thoughts on why. My son, as you know from reading my previous blogs, is 16 and on the autism spectrum with ODD, OCD, ADHD, SPD and extreme anxiety, which you can read more about in my Corona Zombies blog.
As I was cleaning out his room, I found what you would expect to find in a teenagers room, an overfilled trash basket, clean close thrown in his closet instead of neatly place on hangers, ripped magazines tacked to the walls as posters, electronic wires all tangled, and that musty smell from his window being closed for days, which was fine. He helped me sort it out; we opened the window to let in the fresh cool air.
What breaks my heart the most is finding his homemade weapons and having to confiscate them all; an old curtain rod with a butter knife wedged inside of it, part of a baseboard with nails still sticking out, broom handle, stick with a screwdriver attached with duct tape, and a Halloween crowbar decoration.
This is just from last night. It has happened before, and it will happen again. No matter how hard I try to make sure there are no weapons or materials to create a weapon in our home, he will find away.
I think his anxiety takes over his mental state, and he puts his mindset in a place where he feels the need to protect himself and his sister and me. I think everything posted on social media, the news about violence, racism, Covid-19, global warming and politics have gotten the best of him at times.
Is he violent? No. Is he a future criminal? No. Is he a threat to himself or us? No. Is he a psychopath? No? Does he have extreme anxiety? Yes! Will he use the weapons? Under a manic attack of anxiety, who knows. But I expect he wouldn’t. He never intends to hurt anyone, even during extreme meltdowns.
Yes, he does worry about the whales and what we put into the garbage. He is the kid that cut’s up plastic, so birds won’t choke and die, he is the kid that refuses a straw with his milkshake, he the kid that will friend the kid that no one else will. That catches up with him at times. He is just a 16-year-old boy with big dreams.
All I can do is help him clean his room, ensure that he takes his anti-anxiety medication, keep a steady routine and a solid home environment. Provide him comfort and reassure that we are safe. Keep loving the incredible young man that he is. Keep encouraging his passion for becoming a YouTube gamer with hopes he will turn into a fine young man.
Here are some links I found with more information about kids and weapons and kids with extreme anxiety.
What self-defence weapon could a teen own.
Talking to teens about anxiety. myth: talking to kids about anxiety will make them feel more anxious.
Eco Anxiety is overwhelming in todays teens.
Thanks for reading. See you next time at my crazy house. Please don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already. Happy Halloween.
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