I know as I talk about my daughter Elizabeth, who has special needs. I can go from the highest of highs over something she has done to the lowest of lows over something that happened, or that she struggles with.

As I have said before, having a child with special needs is really like being on a rollercoaster. But it is one you don’t have any real idea what it is going to do.

For those reading who don’t already know, my daughter has SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) and Global Dyspraxia. Both of her disorders affect her all day, everyday.

But for this blog, we are going to talk about her fear of the dark. Or should I say, her acquired fear of the dark.

Elizabeth really didn’t have any issue with the dark, or lights by naturally. In fact, we used to take her to the movies often and she was relaxed and had fun.

Until she went to the planetarium in middle school for a field trip

And she was not ready for the lights to go out and for the room to be COMPLETELY DARK.

She came home and would NOT go to bed that night

Or the next.

And it was probably on the third night that we put on all the lights she wanted on and she fell asleep.

And so it began…. Her fear of the dark.

This is where her sensory issues show themselves in that she will NEVER, EVER not be worried about the dark. For her, she remembers FOREVER, the feelings she had that first time in the dark and will not disassociate from the feelings.

As she has grown and matured, she has gotten good at telling us what she needs to sleep well in hotel rooms or when she stays somewhere. Because let me tell you we have had some vacation experiences that only NOW are funny. And when the weather gets bad, she will ALWAYS ask if the power is going to go off.

But those with Sensory issues can and probably will always remember the emotions associated with an event or experience. So that is why ending things on a positive note will help the next time they will have a similar experience.

Hence the fear of the dark.

From an experience so very long ago.

Now flash to two nights ago and this huge storm that blew through our area. We were told to expect bad weather, but you know sometimes it just doesn’t happen.

But at 1:00 am it did arrive. With 80 MPH winds and the lights began to flicker. On and off and then off.

And it was then that I went to get a little battery powered lantern and put it in her room. Her room was probably the only little beacon of light in our entire powerless neighborhood at 1:15 am

It was amazing that she slept through the storm, but I heard her rumbling around somewhere after this time, so she knew the house was dark and she was fine.

And in the morning, she ambled down to say good morning and I asked her how she handled the lantern in her room and the dark and did she hear the storm.

This was the nice beginning to our conversation that morning. She told me she didn’t like the power being off and her lights being off and asked if it would be back on tonight.

I loved that she was not upset, just talking and that she could see the solution to the problem (the lantern) and that she was talking it through.

I think sometimes, as we are so busy with our beautiful children, that we sort of antipate things to go a certain way. Probably due to past experiences but isn’t so simply wonderful when it doesn’t.

When it goes in the way that, well? just makes you happy. And all the hard work you do for your child is showing. They are growing and achieving.

Which is the whole deep in our hearts wish each day.

I wish everyone a peaceful week,

Michele Gianetti author of Elizabeth Believes in Herself