Transitions – Good or Tough To Take?

How do you feel about transitions?

When my son was young, transitions were a struggle. Every change was hard. If we were playing in the park and it was time to go home, I had give him warning ahead of time. Even when the actual time for the transition came, it was tough on him. There were nearly always tears of frustration.

It seemed that all he wanted was to be set in a spot and left to stay there forever doing the same thing.

He struggled every day when he was little. It was so tough to watch and even worse to be the person who made him stop and transition to the next activity through the day.

I think that all the talking we did about each transition is a big part of the reason that he is so verbal and so very good at negotiating today.

Now he has less trouble transitioning. You wouldn’t even notice it, unless you knew to look for it. But I still see it. When he is programming, that is what he wants to keep doing all day. And getting himself to shut down his brain and go to sleep is a struggle even today.

I suppose I could have spent time trying to figure out why my boy had such trouble with transitions.

I could have hunted down books to read. But I really was focused on him. His life and his happiness.

We found a way, between us, to work together to make transitions easier. His self confidence blossomed and his curiosity and happiness bloomed. He still enjoys focusing on controllable tasks, but he also loves to engage with people and be a part of their lives. And I think that is really what matters in the end.

Do you have a child who doesn’t like transitions? What do you do to help?