Round 4: PTSD and Special-Needs Parenting

For this week's Round 4, Amanda once again recorded with her husband, Jon, our audio engineer and blogger at My Happy SAHD Life, to talk about one of the many not-so-easy pieces of special needs parenting—PTSD. Like many parents of kids with autism, they have a kiddo who has meltdowns, not tantrums. There's a difference and Amanda really, really wants people to understand and thus recommended this hugely popular article, "The Difference Between Tantrums and Sensory Meltdowns." (Yes, she wrote it, but, yes, you should also read it.) So, Amanda and Jon worry more about the “when-ifs” of a crisis occurring than the "what-ifs." They talked about how that affects their parenting: How do you keep calm so you don't create a crisis with your own reaction? How do you tag-team when both of you are feeling panicked and one person needs to at least appear calm? And how do single parents of tough kids handle all of the "when-ifs"?

Amanda and Jon share their experiences, frustrations, and strategies in a podcast that will have traumatized parents of complicated kids nodding in agreement and sympathy. And if you're not one of those parents, listen in to see what it feels like! (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience).