Meltdown at the Photoshoot

Today we had our kids' pictures taken at JCPenney's Potrait Studio and let's just say I was more excited than our kids. Of course we had cute outfits for all three of our kids as I had been planning for this for well over a month.

As you can imagine, photo shoots with three kids under the age of 6 are quite a challenge...even more so when you have a child with Autism. However, this did not stop us from capturing memories of our three little beasties.

It was quite easy to get my other two children to sit still and photograph but my daughter, Hannah, was another story. I am not saying she was bad--not at all. What she wanted to do was explore and look around and touch everything she could see.

Being in a new place, can be quite difficult for any child let alone a child with Autism. Once we got some beautiful pictures taken that is when the meltdown started. Hannah was done. I mean she was done with the whole process and she just wanted to leave.

When she realized she could not leave right that second that she wanted as we had to wait and pay, Hannah had a meltdown. When I say meltdown, she dropped herself to the floor and wailed uncontrollably--and very loudly.

My husband picked up Hannah because she refused to walk so he had to put her over his shoulder. As we walked out the store, there were stares and comments surrounding us. It is not like we did not try to console our child. We did--we always do, but it doesn't always work.

Autism is difficult for all those involved. It is a fairly new to me as we just heard one doctor label our child "Autistic". When this happened, I just broke down in the office I literally could not stop crying. I felt that I failed my child.

Did I do something wrong during my pregnancy? Did I not breastfeed her long enough or too long? Did I not read enough books to her? Every possible question that I could ask myself I did. I STILL struggle with this quite often.

Every parent wants the best for their child. No parent wants to hear their child labeled Autistic or any label. We have just started this journey with our beautiful, smart daughter. We have not given up hope to hear her one day say, "I LOVE YOU!"

What I wish is for people to educate themselves....and to just have COMPASSION. If you see a child having a meltdown, do not make ignorant comments. If you cannot offer help, then offer prayers for this family as they are struggling to help their child to the best of their ability.

Here is a picture from today's photo shoot of my fabulously gorgeous and brilliant daughter, Hannah :)