Josiah has no need for toys. He rarely finds them engaging. He typically ignores them. Actually, often they make him angry.  Over the years I’ve searched for a toy that would be THE toy Josiah would love, the one that would mesmerize him, captivate him and allow us to interact with him. It’s been nearly 10 years and I still have not found that toy.

I’ve searched specialty stores, scoured catalogs, browsed sensory integration sites on-line and have read countless reviews from other parents. Many times I thought for sure I had stumbled upon the quintessential toy.  Many times, I was wrong.

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We took Josiah for his helmet fitting a while back. I had anticipated the entire experience would be uncomfortable and difficult. Thankfully it was not. Rick went with me. I knew it would take a pair of strong hands to hold Josiah while the helmet was placed on his head. I knew Josiah would not be agreeable to the fitting.

I did not know they would put a PINK helmet on his head. Josiah was a trooper through it all. He did not like the helmet initially. We did have to hold his arms down while it was placed on his head. He’s a strong kid. I’m glad Rick was there to help manage him. Once the helmet was on, Josiah seemed not to mind so much. Maybe the pressure felt good on his head. Maybe he didn’t realize he was wearing a pink helmet. Light pink actually.

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Next week I will be taking Josiah to an appointment I would rather avoid. It is going to take courage to get him to that appointment. It is going to take courage to get him through that appointment. It’s even going to take courage after the appointment.  I had hoped we would never go down this path. But it appears we have no choice.

Josiah has been punching himself in the head. He punches hard with both fists. He hits himself on the sides of his head, right at his temples. When he is frustrated, he punches. He is strong. His punches are fierce. There have been times in which he has left huge bruises on his face. I can think of only 3 times, but even 1 time is too many.

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I’ve started affectionately referring to Josiah as Tigger. Tigger likes to bounce. Josiah likes to bounce too. Josiah bounces constantly. He bounces in his bed. He bounces at the kitchen table. He bounces on the toilet seat. He bounces on my bike. He bounces in the van. He bounces in the tub. He bounces across the floor. Then, he bounces back again.

Josiah can go from sleeping peacefully to wide awake and bouncing in 0.2 seconds. It’s amazing. I’ve watched him. One minute he is snoring. Snoring, I tell you and the very next second his eyes open up and ZING, in one swift motion he is up on his knees bouncing. If I happen to be on the bed when Josiah bounces, I get dizzy. He bounces with great vigor. He bounces with great delight. He bounces until I make him stop. A few minutes later he goes back to bouncing.

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Josiah has never been much of a sleeper. He has such an excess amount of energy. he’s like the Energizer Bunny. He just keeps on going and going and going. Actually, we have a few kids in this house who require minimal sleep. We’ve been kind of used to long nights and early mornings for a while now. But Josiah is a different breed. Long nights and early mornings for him, especially recently, mean he’s good to go with about 3-4 hours a night.

Unfortunately,. 3-4 hours for me would be a nap, not a full night’s sleep. I can’t for the life of me figure out how this kid can function on such little sleep. If he was a college student cramming for finals, it would be great. If he was a shift worker doubling up and taking on extra hours, still good.  But he’s a 9 year old child. And he’s not even remotely close to being independent.

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