I lost a toy! I’m a bad parent!

Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world. That’s not to say it isn’t worth it, but sometimes you just can’t win.
My 8 year old son is autistic, not severly, but enough that some days are truly a struggle. He is very routine oriented and the world ends when things don’t go according to routine, like last night.
First, Dad is gone, which has caused a lot of heartache for everyone in the family. My son keeps asking for him and when we explain that Dad is at work for a while he kind of understands but remains whimpery.
Then the second calamity hit. His Nabi jr quit working. Just quit. Dead as a door nail. I searched on the web for a solution. Didn’t have much luck. So we tried to explain it wasn’t working. He got more whimpery and tried to bang his head a few times. Lucky for me my daughter jumped in. Big sis to the rescue! She played with him and distracted him from the problem.
But then… Mr. Smee disappeared!
My son loves Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. He has a lot of Jake and the Neverland Pirates toys but Hook and Smee are his favorites. He goes to bed every night holding two Mr. Smees, one in each hand. They are exactly alike. They are from a McDonald’s happy meal. However one is missing and it’s bed time.
I search and search. Under the couch. In the couch. In the recliner, the kitchen, the bedrooms (all three), the bathroom, basement, even in the trash. But no Smee. Meltdown imminent!
At this point I feel like the worst patent ever. I’ve taken away three of the most valuable things in my sons life! How horrid am I?
But then my son and my daughter surprise me. My son doesn’t meltdown he goes to bed with a substitute pirate and tells me “mamma best friend”. Then my daughter smiles and gives me a thumbs up. I started to cry.
My kids taught me that I’m a great patent because I’m here and I care even about the little silly things.

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