The Naked Truth
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We all have those days. It has been a rough day at work or at home. We are constantly on the go all day. The first thing we want to do when we get home is strip down and jump directly into those comfy pajamas. Aahhh. There is just something about the comfort of bedtime garments after a hard day's work. The stress and tension seems to dissipate-along with the clothing ;)
In our home, Nolan is the first one to shed his clothing after a hard day's work at school or therapy. Sometimes I think he dreams about the clothing coming off on the car ride home. These thoughts run through my head because there are times he will begin to remove his shoes and socks while still in the car. Almost like he is anticipating the joy and relief he is about to feel the second he walks through the door. The second he is able to remove those darn clothes! The second he is able to experience some sensory relief!
Just as quickly as we walk through the front door, it is the shoes first. Then the socks. The shirt is next. Finally, ALAS, the pants. Not carefully either. I see determination and deliberation in his eyes as he strips down. The clothing MUST come off. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
It is pretty typical of very young children to walk or waddle around in their diapers. I remember Nolan waddling around the house in his diapers when we had company. No one frowned upon THAT nudity. In fact, I would usually hear, "aww, that is so cute!"
Now fast forward 8-10 years later.
My 10 year old son Nolan exhibits those same behaviors that were once so cute at a young age-now what? When your 10 year old child exhibits those same naked behaviors, it can be particularly frustrating. Especially when we have company over.
If it were up to Nolan, he would walk around nude all day long. Obviously, that isn't an option, so just dressing him in the morning can be terrific challenge. No, not the typical challenges most parents face when they can't get their exhausted child up (and dressed) from a long night's sleep. Nolan has NO problem waking up in the morning. That isn't the issue. The issue is the clothing.
The tags, oh those stinkin' tags! Who invented those things anyway? ;)
It doesn't matter what I plan to dress him in- (although I do my best to dress him in comfortable attire).
Oh my, when those clothes get wet! Nolan does a pretty good job keeping his clothes on in public-except when those clothes get wet in any form or fashion. Once, during a rain storm, we scurried from the car to the drug store as quickly as we could. Staying dry was unavoidable. We made it in! Phew! I turned my head for a second to grab the grocery cart, and there he was- Nolan removed his shirt in a public place. We had to leave because he refused to put that wet shirt back on. No way!
Situations like this can be difficult to deal with.