To My Blue Eyed Boy William On Your 7th Birthday

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Dear My Beautiful Blue Eyed Boy,

7? You’re really 7 today? I can’t quite believe it. I know, it gets boring, I say it every birthday, but seriously? Wasn’t I just writing your last letter?

It’s been a busy year. It’s been so very busy that it’s only when I take time to sit and reflect and write to you that I realise how much you really have grown up this year.

You Lost Some Teeth

I was trying to be ever so brave as you wobbled and wobbled your baby teeth. I did my best not to throw up in my mouth as I had to pull one out for you as you were scared you’d swallow it. How did I do? Did you notice? I hope you didn’t.

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We've lost another tooth! This one was hanging out, he was getting upset and Mummy had to "help it out" ? I'm all brisk and breezy and "It's ok darling, Mummy will sort it" in my best Mary Poppins voice around the children, but in truth, I'm a total wimp with anything to do with blood / teeth / broken bones. Obsessed as I am with Grey's Anatomy, I am useless with anything medical in real life. Maybe that's why I like the show so much? Facing my fears and all that ? Am I the only one that is squeamish with these things? How do you cope with the blood and guts bit of parenting? #wobblyteeth #mummylife #mumlife #parentinglife #squeamish #alliwantforchristmasismytwofrontteeth #pbloggeruk #mummyoffour

A post shared by Rhi – Mummy Of Four (@mummyoffouruk) on Jun 26, 2018 at 11:21pm PDT

You Excelled In School

Well, my gorgeous Willers, we all know that you’re bright, you always have been. You were reading fluently just after your third birthday and your maths skills have always astounded me. This year your brilliant intelligence has continued to dazzle me along with everyone that teaches you. The speed at which you can perform mental arithmetic surpasses the capabilities of most adults, me included. I know it’s not a big deal for you, you just find it easy, you always have.

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So proud of Will for getting “Star Of The Week” this week for staying on task. He never gets star of the week for things you would expect like doing well in maths. It’s not because he’s not good at maths, it’s because he is. While some children struggle with maths and English, Will doesn’t struggle with these things. Rewarding him for things that he finds easy would be pointless. ⠀ ⠀ Will struggles with other things. Like many children with autism, change of routine and basic social situations can be more challenging for him. Like I say to Will, everyone struggles with something, just everyone’s struggles are different. ⠀ ⠀ So when he had this certificate for working independently and staying on task, something that I know has been a challenge, I am a very proud Mummy.⠀ ⠀ What is your child’s biggest struggle at the moment?⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #everyoneisdifferent #differentisgood #asd #autismfamily #proudmummy #staroftheweek

A post shared by Rhi – Mummy Of Four (@mummyoffouruk) on Oct 22, 2018 at 11:30am PDT

It’s Not Just Your Academic Achievements That Have Made Me Proud

It’s not that I’m not proud of you excelling academically, quite the opposite, it makes me very proud. The things that make me most proud however, are the things that don’t come naturally to you that you have managed anyway.

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This is William, my youngest son. Our recent trip to @legolandwindsor has made me realise how far he has come in the last few years. Last time we went to #LEGOLAND he was around the age Zara is now. He showed no interest, no signs of enjoying the day at all. Not even slightly. Just before his 4th birthday Will was diagnosed with autism. Since his diagnosis he has come SO far. After going into crazy Mummy research mode, we put so many strategies in place and I'm just delighted with how well they have worked. This visit really highlighted for me how well he is doing now. We had a ride access pass to avoid the queues (something that we would never have managed. trip like this without) and he genuinely loved the whole experience. If only I could go back a few years and tell myself that this is how Will would be now, I could have saved myself so much worry. . . . . . #asd #autism #autismfamily #autismmum #mybabyboy #legolandwindsor #thismamalife #thisparentinglife #mummyblogger #mumblogger #mumlife #mummylife #pbloggeruk #parentingblogger #parentblogger #cornersofmyworld #momentsofmine #mymagicalmoments #mumgoals #mumsrock #mynameismama #alldaykids #littlestoriesofmylife #darlinglove #thedailyhappy #therealparenthood #therealityofparenting

A post shared by Rhi – Mummy Of Four (@mummyoffouruk) on Aug 30, 2018 at 10:06am PDT

I’m proud of how kind you are

In spite of the fact that after your ASD diagnosis we were told that you would never show empathy, quite the opposite is true. You are such a thoughtful and loving little boy, I can’t help but beam to think about it.

You are so especially kind and gentle with your baby sister, Zara. I know she can be hard work and that she doesn’t always understand that she’s spoiling things by moving them out of order so that they are not the way you like them, but somehow, you are still so good with her. Thank you for understanding that she doesn’t mean it and she can’t help it. Well, you understand most of the time at least.

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School’s out for summer! Bella has her last day yesterday and the boys had theirs today. Can you believe that the boys will be going into years 2 & 10 in September? That means that Dylan will actually be starting his GCSEs ? If I’m honest, I have no idea where this academic year has gone, it’s flown!!! ? The scariest thing? I will blink my eyes and their 6 week summer will be over ? Time needs to slow down ? ? Is time speeding by too quickly for you too? And the 6 week summer ahead, does it seem like a long time they’ll be home? Or not long enough? . . . . . #schoolsoutforsummer #summerholidays #schoolholidays #endofterm #lastdayofschool #mumlife #mummylife #thisparentlife #capturingchildhood #letterboard #pbloggeruk #mummyblogger #mumblogger

A post shared by Rhi – Mummy Of Four (@mummyoffouruk) on Jul 24, 2018 at 10:57am PDT

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Can your kids ride a bike without stabilisers yet? My 6 and 3 year old can't yet and I'm okay with it, here's why. When Will was nearly 3, he was showing so signs of readiness to potty train. None. Still, due to pressure from friends and family and society in general that he "should be doing it by now" I went against my gut and pressed ahead with potty training. It was a nightmare. Fast forward one year and Will was diagnosed with autism. I had my suspicions all along, but if I'd had this diagnosis pre-potty training, I would have waited until he was more ready. I wouldn't have allowed the peer pressure to get to me. What's this got to do with bikes? Well, these 2 aren't ready to have their stabilisers off yet. They don't get on their bikes much (not enough room in my car for them so they use scooters unless Daddy Of Four is with us to help transport the bikes). This means that they are still gaining their confidence. On our summer trip they got over their hesitations and started to really enjoy their bikes and for now that's enough. Will we teach them to ride without stabilisers? Of course we will, but when we feel they are ready and not just because other people's kids are doing it now. So please remember, don't feel pressured into doing things with your kids just because your friends or your Mum or society say you should. They are your babies, you know them best, you know when they are ready. . . . . . #learningtorideabike #trainingwheels #learnattheirownpace #thismamalife #thisparentinglife #mummyblogger #mumblogger #mumlife #mummylife #pbloggeruk #parentingblogger #parentblogger #cornersofmyworld #momentsofmine #mymagicalmoments #mumgoals #mumsrock #mynameismama #alldaykids #littlestoriesofmylife #darlinglove #thedailyhappy #therealparenthood #therealityofparenting

A post shared by Rhi – Mummy Of Four (@mummyoffouruk) on Sep 4, 2018 at 10:52am PDT

I’m proud of your attention to detail

During the past 12 months, we have spent a lot of time in theme parks. Before each visit, you learned so many facts and figures about each venue. You studied the maps and knew exactly which year each ride was built in plus a million other details about where we were going. It’s amazing to see how much knowledge you really store under your sandy brown hair (that is no longer as curly as it was when you were little, I might add).

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I’ve got a confession to make – I’m terrified of heights and rollercoasters scare the living daylights out of me. If you watch my stories, you will see that we have been to @altontowers @chessingtonworldofadventures & @legolandwindsor this year (all of which you can catch on my story highlights if you’re interested in planning a trip to any of the parks). ⠀ ⠀ Now why would anyone in their right mind plan all of these trips full of rollercoasters when they’re terrified of heights? Quite simply because I am adamant not to pass my ridiculous phobias onto my children. ⠀ ⠀ So I ride the rollercoasters and pretend not to be scared to show them that there is nothing to fear. It turns out that Will is already quite the little coaster-head! He loves “Mummy & William rollercoaster time” and (minus the fear) I do too. When there have been rides that he has been cautious of, I've been super brave, not shown him how much I was shaking, he's got on the rides and loved every one.⠀ ⠀ What are you afraid of and what do you do to try and avoid passing your fears onto your children? ⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #daysoutwithkids #rollercoasters #fearofheights #faceyourfears #mummylife #mumlife #daysoutwithkids #altontowersresort #chessingtonworldofadventures #legolandwindsor #merlinannualpass #daysoutwithkidsuk #themeparkuk #mummyblogger #mummybloggeruk

A post shared by Rhi – Mummy Of Four (@mummyoffouruk) on Nov 11, 2018 at 10:53am PST

I’m Proud Of How Brave You Are

You were so excited to go on all of the big scary rollercoasters. I will admit, when the time came to board some of them, you became increasingly uneasy. You were no longer as excited and not even sure you wanted to go on at all. Still, with a few words from me, you rode each one and came off beaming. It made me so proud to see you do things even when they scared you. Seeing you be brave makes me want to be brave too.

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Did you know that Christmas can be a very difficult time in school for children with autism? Everything is different, normal routine is disrupted with concert rehearsals and parties and the familiar and comfortable predictability of the day vanishes. While all of these are lovely and exciting activities, it’s can be very overwhelming for both children with Autism and neurotypical children.⠀ ⠀ Will has been coping incredibly well really. He did have one meltdown during rehearsals last week (it was freaking him out that they were repeating the same scene over and over again), but luckily he has an AMAZING set of teachers who quickly calmed him down.⠀ ⠀ Tonight was his last performance as a⠀ King in his nativity. He was a magnificent king and I am a very proud Mummy. But I am not just proud of his performance, which was word perfect, I am proud of how well he has coped. It is so promising to see him deal with this season of fun and chaos and to see him actually enjoy things that I never thought that he would.⠀ ⠀ Does your child find the change of routine in school around Christmas time tough to deal with?⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #christmasconcert #nativityplay #christmas2018 #asd #autismmum #autismatchristmas #copingwithchange

A post shared by Rhi – Mummy Of Four (@mummyoffouruk) on Dec 12, 2018 at 11:30am PST

So Happy Birthday Gorgeous Boy

I cannot wait to see how you continue to grow and develop now that you’re 7.