Lost and Found

The other day, I told my son he could not watch a movie, and he lost his temper.

First, he brayed like a donkey. I remembered in a flash that sound, and thought how long it has been since he did that, before he had the power of his impressive vocabulary.

Then, he stomped around. Reflexively, I looked to make sure all of us were out of reach, and then caught myself -- he no longer uses his hands to express frustration, just stamps his feet as he learned to do as a better alternative during our ABA sessions.

Then, he screamed, "I HATE my MOMMY. I HATE you, mommy." And the sting barely lasted a millisecond. I knew, with complete conviction, he would later apologize; in fact, within the half hour, he proclaimed his enormous love for me, topped with hugs and kisses.

I am so glad that my son lost his temper the other day.

It showed me how far we have come, how many tools he has, how our hard work has paid dividends. It showed him that he can get upset, and then he can turn things around. It reminded him that he doesn't have to get so upset, but that when he does lose it, the world will not end, and he can fix things himself.

Everyone loses their temper sometimes. Sometimes it's not what you lose, but what you eventually find.