Episode Transcript
[00:00:06] Speaker A: Hello, everybody.
[00:00:07] Speaker B: This is Nicole and I'm Maggie.
[00:00:10] Speaker A: Welcome to the DAC Dyslexia in Coffee podcast. We're so happy you could join us. We're both moms and dyslexia interventionists. We want to talk about our students and children, what dyslexia is, how it affects our kids, strategies to help and topics related to other learning disabilities will also be covered in this podcast.
Parents are not alone, and we want to give voice to the concerns and struggles we are all having. This is a safe place to learn more about how to help our children grow and succeed in school, in the world. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the conversation.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: Hi, everybody. So we're going to start today's episode the same way we do any episode, which is with the concept of the week. That's our opportunity as practitioners to kind of let you all in into an intervention session and either talk about something we would be teaching to our kids or a concept that we really feel like parents need to know.
So today's concept of the week relates to our bigger topic today, and it is what is a friendship?
So friendship is a special connection between people who care about each other and enjoy spending time with each other.
A more kid friendly kind of definition. Right. Someone you like to play with, you might share secrets with this friend or someone that makes you feel happy. You make each other feel happy. Right. The key there is that it's a two way street. Right. A friendship is reciprocal.
[00:01:51] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:01:52] Speaker B: And this could be really confusing and very difficult for our kids.
[00:01:59] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:02:01] Speaker B: I do actually quite a lot of teaching around friendships.
You know, sometimes a kid will come in and they're like, my friends friend called me this name today at lunch and it made me feel crappy. And I'm like, huh, interesting that you're calling that person a friend.
[00:02:20] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:02:20] Speaker B: Are they? Are they a friend?
Right. You know, it might be. Right. Friendships are relationships. So they go ups and downs just like any other.
[00:02:29] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:02:29] Speaker B: Friendships. So sometimes friends do hurt each other's feelings, but what happened next?
You know, and sometimes I dive a little bit deeper and I'm like.
[00:02:42] Speaker A: Not.
[00:02:42] Speaker B: Sure I would call that person a friend. I might call them a classmate.
[00:02:45] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:02:47] Speaker B: I might call them an acquaintance. Somebody I know.
But friendship is reciprocal. Friendship goes both ways.
[00:02:55] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:02:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: So episode 56 is how to handle kids friendships.
Oh, boy.
This can be a big one.
[00:03:05] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:03:06] Speaker A: So you know, every parent thinks about this. Right.
For our kids with adhd, autism, dyslexia, or other learning differences, friendships can be incredibly rewarding, but also incredibly challenging.
Some kids make friends easy but struggle to maintain those friendships. Others desperately want friends but aren't sure how to join in or connect.
So in this episode, we're going to look at why friendship matters. What makes them tricky for neurodiverse kids, how you can, as a parent, can guide and help your child without pushing too hard.
[00:03:46] Speaker B: Yeah.
This is such a tough topic.
[00:03:52] Speaker A: It is really.
[00:03:54] Speaker B: It's so emotional and it really kind of. Kind of like why? Why does friendship matter so much?
Friendships are not just about having someone to play with at recess. Right. They help kids learn empathy, cooperation, problem solving and resilience.
[00:04:15] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:04:15] Speaker B: Friendships are really central to who we are as humans.
[00:04:20] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:04:22] Speaker B: And this is biological in nature. Right, Right. Humans are tribal.
Our job.
Right. Was to find our tribe and stick together. And stick together. Otherwise we died.
So this is physiological in nature. Why does it literally hurt when friendships aren't going well?
Because our body knows we're actually in danger.
[00:04:53] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:04:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:55] Speaker A: And for neurodiverse kids especially, friendships provide belonging a reminder that they're accepted for who they are. And that sense of connection is linked to better mental health, stronger self esteem, and better school outcomes.
[00:05:10] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
But here's the thing.
While friendships are important.
Right. They don't have to look the same for every child.
Some kids thrive with a wide circle of acquaintances.
That's enough for them. They're happy with that.
Others do best with one or two really close friends.
And some are happiest with mostly family connections and just kind of occasional peer time.
[00:05:41] Speaker A: Correct.
And the key is to respect your child's social style while still giving them tools to build connections.
[00:05:51] Speaker B: Yeah. I feel like isn't that one of the hardest things about parenthood? Because it's so hard not to project your own stuff on your kids and friendships. I think just like our homework episode, they bring up everything from our own childhoods, from our own adulthoods.
And it can really be hard to see, like, where, okay, what are my emotions and what are my child's emotions?
[00:06:21] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:06:22] Speaker B: Because right now we need to be dealing with their emotions, not mine.
[00:06:25] Speaker A: Right.
So what makes friendships harder?
[00:06:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
One of those things, and we've talked about this before, is those social cues.
Some children really struggle to read body language and tone of voice.
[00:06:45] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:06:47] Speaker B: And remember too, when we're talking about the younger kids, none of these kids have an executive functioning brain online yet, and some of them are even further behind.
So even a typically developing child is going to struggle with something at some point related to executive functioning because their brain isn't there yet.
[00:07:15] Speaker A: Correct. So my son is 9 and he thinks everybody is his friend. And yes. He like, literally will walk up to people just randomly and be, hi, my name is Wilson. Do you want to be my friend?
[00:07:28] Speaker B: What is your name?
[00:07:29] Speaker A: And let's go play. And like, he's totally fine with that.
[00:07:32] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:07:33] Speaker A: But he's also a hugger and he doesn't read the social cues of.
I'm a nine year old boy. Other nine year old boys don't want hugs. Right. Now. That is not cool.
[00:07:42] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:07:43] Speaker A: So we've been trying to nicely, gently tell him that his friends don't like it.
[00:07:50] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. And it is, it's really important. Right. Like, going around hugging people who don't want to hug is a pretty big. No, no, we can't. We can't be doing that. It's so sweet.
[00:08:04] Speaker A: Yes.
And he doesn't mean anything bad about it.
[00:08:07] Speaker B: Of course he doesn't.
[00:08:08] Speaker A: No. He just thinks everybody wants a hug.
[00:08:12] Speaker B: But yeah. Teaching those social groups, teaching fist bumps.
[00:08:17] Speaker A: Or teaching high fives or teaching.
[00:08:20] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:08:20] Speaker A: Elbows.
[00:08:22] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:08:23] Speaker A: Trying to teach all that.
[00:08:25] Speaker B: It's so hard. It is.
Another key one is that impulsivity. Right. So kids with adhd, they may interrupt or dominate a game. They may blurt things out because they cannot keep it in this. I mean, this is my son to a T, mind you. Yeah. He just, if he chooses to talk in a conversation, it's like blurt, interrupt, dominate the conversation.
Definitely, definitely that. Yeah.
[00:09:08] Speaker A: Different interests. A child might be different.
Deeply passionate about one subject that peers don't share.
[00:09:16] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:09:16] Speaker A: Like, my oldest daughter loves Pokemon and a lot of kids love Pokemon, but at a certain age that kind of changes.
[00:09:25] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:09:28] Speaker A: Then they don't have that same interest anymore.
[00:09:30] Speaker B: Yes. And even a kid who does maybe love Pokemon probably doesn't want to hear your entire binder's worth of cards. Of cards. And what power each Pokemon has and when you can use them and. And all of that.
[00:09:44] Speaker A: Exactly. They want to go play on the playground at some point.
[00:09:47] Speaker B: Yes. Knowing when to change the subject.
Rough.
[00:09:56] Speaker A: Academic or communication challenges. Struggling with reading, writing, or speech can make group activities really hard.
[00:10:03] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
Rejection sensitivity.
Many neurodiverse kids feel rejection more deeply.
Right. So one unkind word might feel like the end of the world.
And remember, this is how they're perceiving the situation.
This is another thing that I've seen my son struggle with is he'll come to me and say, mom, they're leaving me out of a game.
And from what I can really tell from observing is actually they're just kind of moving the game from one place to another. And they want you to come with them. They invited you to come, but it wasn't the idea you had in your head.
So you think they're rejecting you or if you're playing a collaborative game. This happens a lot between my two kids.
They'll be imagining something and they're doing it together.
And one of them will say like, oh, now we're the queen and the king. And then my second kid will be like, oh, I don't want to be the queen, I want to be the princess.
And then it's like, oh, you don't want to play with me anymore because we just changed part of the idea.
[00:11:26] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:11:27] Speaker B: So it's like that they have this high sensitivity for any kind of rejection.
[00:11:35] Speaker A: Right. And then on the other side, some kids with neurodiversity are rejected quite often.
[00:11:41] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:11:43] Speaker A: By their peers, or at least same aged peers because of different reasons.
And unfortunately, that breaks my heart every time that happens.
[00:11:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
It is heartbreaking.
And it's heartbreaking as a parent. It's heartbreaking as a professional and a teacher.
And I think leading into this is developmentally sound because just like our kids are trying to fit in, so is every other kid on the planet. It's their job.
So all kids need skills.
[00:12:24] Speaker A: Right?
[00:12:24] Speaker B: Yeah. This is hard. This is why this is so thorny.
[00:12:31] Speaker A: So knowing these challenges help us support kids with patience and proactive tools rather than assuming. They'll just figure it out.
[00:12:39] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:40] Speaker A: Because they won't.
[00:12:41] Speaker B: No, they won't. Right?
They won't.
So how could we support friendship skills at home?
One of the ways we can do that is modeling social skills. Right. So let your child hear you say, hi, can I join you or. Thank you for inviting me.
Right. Kids learn the most, really, by watching and having that consistent modeling.
[00:13:12] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:13:13] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:13:15] Speaker A: And they notice when you're distracted and not listening.
[00:13:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:13:20] Speaker A: Very well.
[00:13:21] Speaker B: Yes, they do. Yes, they do. Right.
If your child is talking to you and you're not interested in a topic, it's okay to say, you know what? Right now mommy has to do xyz. I am busy with this. Let me show you what I'm doing.
How about we come back in five minutes? So you know what, Cher? I'd love to hear about that for three minutes.
And then they really.
That is also important because you are a safe environment for them.
[00:13:53] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:13:53] Speaker B: So you can model that kind of.
Yes. Sometimes you do fake interest for a little bit of conversation, especially with your own kid.
But also it Models that a conversation is supposed to be a two way street. So if you're still on the same subject, buddy, in 10 more minutes, I'm out.
Or I also might say to one of my kids who's super into anything with wheels, like, you know what, I think your dad would love to talk to you about that when he gets home.
He knows a lot more about that than I do, so you can go find him later.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: Role playing is also a really good strategy. So practice greetings, sharing toys, handling disagreements through fun skits. Make it light and silly, not stressful, but like really, you know, if they practice at home, they're able to use those skills then later.
[00:14:54] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
You know, we do, we do that a lot in our house.
Talk through situations.
If your child comes home upset, you know, ask what happened. Right.
You could brainstorm together. Right. What could we try next time? I think this is where what is really hard as a parent is if my kid comes home after a tough day, it's a little child specific too. I know with my son, if he's talking to me about it at all, it was deeply upsetting. Otherwise he would not be saying a word to me.
Where my daughter, she just needs to talk all the time.
So it's a little less with her. But you know, it's hard to not get immediately activated when your kid is upset.
You know, a lot of what they honestly need from you is just listening before you even say anything to them.
You know, it's great to brainstorm, but sometimes they just need it out first.
[00:16:09] Speaker A: Correct.
Just like we do.
[00:16:11] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:16:14] Speaker A: Find the right settings. So like a big birthday party may not be the best setting to practice anything because it's going to be overwhelming. There's going to be too much going on.
But maybe a one on one play date, you know, that's when you can practice and.
[00:16:29] Speaker B: Yeah.
You know, I mean, just like adults have some preferred settings, right?
[00:16:36] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:16:37] Speaker B: You know, while it is very good for us as humans to be kind of pushed outside of our comfort zone every once in a while, we're not growing unless we're doing that. But you know, if, you know, your kid is extremely sensitive to noise and to lights, accepting the invitation to a big arcade birthday party, maybe that's not it.
[00:17:00] Speaker A: Right.
[00:17:00] Speaker B: You know, maybe that's just not an activity we're going to be choosing and that's okay.
[00:17:07] Speaker A: Yeah, for sure.
[00:17:10] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:17:13] Speaker A: Match interest. Right. Friendships often grow from shared passions like whether it's Legos, soccer, art, video games, Pokemon, Hot Wheels, so on and so forth.
[00:17:27] Speaker B: You Forgot rainbows and unicorns.
[00:17:31] Speaker A: The color pink.
[00:17:32] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:17:34] Speaker A: Daughter.
[00:17:34] Speaker B: And does it sparkle? Does it shine?
[00:17:37] Speaker A: My daughter and Maggie's daughter are really, really similar. Similar in what they love because color wise, sparkly wise, girly wise, just all the wise.
[00:17:47] Speaker B: So funny.
[00:17:48] Speaker A: It is funny.
[00:17:49] Speaker B: I don't know where they came from. I don't. I don't.
[00:17:51] Speaker A: But it's really funny because they can just talk about it for hours.
[00:17:55] Speaker B: They can. You know, and that's often such a good place to start. I mean, true friendships often are formed way beyond a shared interest.
[00:18:05] Speaker A: Right.
[00:18:06] Speaker B: But it can be a really good place to start with.
What are these kids interested in?
[00:18:11] Speaker A: A lot of us start with people at work, Right. When you're older, that's where you start talking to people and then you find out you like the same books or you like the same sports team. And then maybe you go a game and then it kind of builds from there. And then maybe not everything is going to align. Right. Because. Yeah, not everything is going to be.
[00:18:30] Speaker B: Because it shouldn't.
[00:18:31] Speaker A: It shouldn't. But maybe you learn something and you find a new hobby and they like something you like and then they try it and either like it or they don't. But it's the same concept, right?
[00:18:43] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
You know, and two, remembering that our job as a parent, I often think about it is like we are their coach, you know, so trying not to hover during play dates. Right. Staying kind of within earshot, but letting the kids work it out when possible.
You know, I let it get pretty far in my house before I am willing to step in and stop a situation.
If there is going to be a physical altercation between my two children, that is the point that I step in.
But you know, kids have to practice working it out themselves.
There have been a lot of studies on this topic and they all come back very conclusively that it is a real biological need for kids to have unstructured, pretty much unsupervised time to play.
[00:19:56] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:19:57] Speaker B: They have to. If they perceive adult around a child's brain no longer considers that play, they consider it an activity and they will default to bringing it to an adult.
[00:20:13] Speaker A: That makes sense.
[00:20:14] Speaker B: And so they're not gaining those skills early. They've got to be able to do it on their own.
[00:20:22] Speaker A: Exactly.
Here's the big one. Keep expectations realistic. Right?
[00:20:28] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:20:29] Speaker A: Social growth is slow and messy. Your child doesn't need to be the life of the party, but they just need to feel connected.
What that looks like for every child is very different.
[00:20:42] Speaker B: Yeah, you Know, and again, tied up in our own stuff. Right. If you were the kind of person that was like, the life of the party in high school, you might have a kid who isn't. Yep. And that might make you feel.
[00:20:56] Speaker A: Or the opposite way.
[00:20:57] Speaker B: Or the opposite.
[00:20:59] Speaker A: And you're like, what do you do? Because they're involved in everything and go everywhere, and you're just like, really? That's not me.
[00:21:06] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:21:07] Speaker A: But now it is.
[00:21:08] Speaker B: But now here we are. Right.
You know, it can be. It can be really hard. Or, you know, the opposite, I think is true too. If you see yourself so much in one of your kids, then you see where you struggled.
[00:21:22] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:23] Speaker B: And so any little friendship tiff is like, oh, that's how my best friend and I broke up when we were in third grade. Right. I mean, it's just. It's just those. Those things that it brings you back to those moments. Of course it does. It's hard.
So how do we handle friendship struggles with our kids?
Because even with support, the friendship comes with bumps.
That's normal. Just like any relationship, friendship comes with bumps and bruises along the way.
So here's some ways to kind of handle this.
So exclusion is a kind of a big category of wist. Yes. Right.
If your child isn't invited.
Right. Validate their feelings. I know it hurts to be left out.
Then remind them that friendships aren't about the numbers. Right. Like, what's the quality of the friendship?
[00:22:23] Speaker A: Right.
[00:22:24] Speaker B: If you are somebody who is, you know, that person is chronically excluding you from things.
Probably not a person we need to be friends with.
[00:22:37] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:22:38] Speaker B: And if there is a greater thing happening, like if there is bullying and all the things, then it is time to get more parties involved.
[00:22:47] Speaker A: That's when you explicitly teach when they should go to an adult.
[00:22:50] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.
[00:22:54] Speaker A: Conflict.
Teach repair skills. Like, you can say, I'm sorry, I grabbed that. Want to try again?
[00:23:01] Speaker B: Or.
[00:23:04] Speaker A: You know, oh, we both wanted to do this one thing, and now we can't.
Let's think of something else. Or, you know, have them practice some of those thoughts and what they would say in those situations.
[00:23:20] Speaker B: Yeah. I always like the good old Daniel Tiger here. Right.
[00:23:25] Speaker A: Oh, Daniel Tiger.
[00:23:26] Speaker B: You know, Dino Tiger just does such a good job. It's like the one song. Right. Saying I'm sorry is the first step. And then how do I help?
[00:23:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:35] Speaker B: You know, I think I still use that line with my kids. Like, we don't sing the little song anymore. But it's like, yeah, saying I'm sorry is the first step.
[00:23:44] Speaker A: Correct.
[00:23:45] Speaker B: But now, how do I help? What's the next thing to resolve that conflict?
[00:23:49] Speaker A: Yep.
Friendship breakups.
[00:23:53] Speaker B: Oh, the worst.
[00:23:55] Speaker A: Yes, they are.
Sometimes kids drift apart, frame it as normal. It doesn't mean you did anything wrong. Sometimes people grow in different directions.
You never know, like, if their interests change or, you know, something happened.
You know, we have that going on with our daughter, and it's really tough.
[00:24:20] Speaker B: It's really, really hard.
[00:24:22] Speaker A: It's really, really tough. And they were best friends all last year, and then at the end of the year, she decided the other girl wanted nothing to do with us, and now they're okay, but they're not definitely best friends anymore.
[00:24:36] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:24:37] Speaker A: And I think, unfortunately, we learned a lesson, and since. That people can change their minds, and sometimes you can't control what other people want.
[00:24:49] Speaker B: Right.
And that it is, unfortunately, it is a part of life. It is, you know.
You know, another. Another thing is those toxic friendships. Right.
I.
I think we have to be very careful when we're talking about what kind of friendship is toxic.
[00:25:10] Speaker A: Right.
[00:25:11] Speaker B: I think this is overused a lot.
[00:25:15] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:25:16] Speaker B: Where normal friendship behavior becomes, oh, that person is toxic. It's like, hold on.
What does that really look like? Again, it's helpful to have another person's perspective here that's not that child's parent. Correct.
Because this emotion is so high.
But if a peer is consistently unkind, help your kids set boundaries and look for healthier friendships.
We have this going on kind of in our neighborhood, where my kids are at an age, and my house is right across the street from the park. So I've been allowing my kids to go to the park without me while I am outside in my own yard. So they.
I can hear them. I can see them. If I need to, I can, boom, cross the street.
I'm there.
It's been a really good way to lengthen that leash a little bit.
However, there is a particular person, a little girl who lives in our neighborhood, who is consistently mean to my younger child and tries to use my older child as kind of like her instrument.
And it works. He doesn't. So it's really. It's very. It is not a good dynamic. It is really unhealthy. This child is significantly older than either of my two kids.
And, you know, we really have. It has been a difficult. Like, I have to be there if she is there.
They're not ready to handle this their own, you know, but of course, they both like her. So trying to kind of get them to see that this is actually really unhealthy. And not okay.
That she's. She's really, truly being a bully.
[00:27:23] Speaker A: Right.
[00:27:24] Speaker B: It can be. She.
It's rough. It's a rough situation.
[00:27:29] Speaker A: That is.
[00:27:29] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:31] Speaker A: So remember, your role is to be the safe landing place. So spot where your child can process their big feelings and learn tools for next time.
[00:27:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
You know, something, too, that we've got to talk about is kind of working with schools and communities. So, you know, if your kid is really struggling with these friendships, asking teachers if they could kind of pair your child with a buddy during group work, you know, looking into structured clubs or activities. Right. Like robotics or art or scouts.
Scouts has been so good for my kids. It really has.
You know, and often schools even run social skills group, and that can be really great. Our school does a lunch group that every kid in the school participates at least once during the school year.
So it's not just for neurodiverse kids. It's for every kid. It's like a little small lunch group. They meet once a week for like five weeks and they play games and they all love it. It's pretty cool.
[00:28:44] Speaker A: That's nice.
[00:28:45] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:28:46] Speaker A: And remember, advocating for these supports is not special treatment.
It's setting your child up for success and one's life's most important area. Right. Because a kid's job is to play.
[00:29:02] Speaker B: And to go to school. Exactly.
Right. So key takeaways here. Right. So overarching themes from this episode. Friendships matter, but they might look different for every child.
[00:29:14] Speaker A: Correct. Neurodiverse kids may face challenges with cues, impulsivity, or rejection, but with support, they can thrive socially.
[00:29:23] Speaker B: At home, you can model, you can role play, you can be your kid's coach.
You can create the right setting for connection.
[00:29:32] Speaker A: Right.
When struggles do come up, like exclusion or conflict, you can guide your child through them with empathy and problem solving skills.
[00:29:42] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, and partnering with schools and communities, they may open a lot of doors for healthy friendships for your kids.
[00:29:52] Speaker A: And most of all, remember that your child doesn't need dozens of friends to be happy. One or two. General. General.
General. Oh, my gosh. Connections can make the world difference. Oh, I could not get that out.
[00:30:05] Speaker B: Sorry, guys.
[00:30:07] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:30:08] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. It's so funny.
[00:30:10] Speaker A: So, Maggie, what's happening outside of dyslexia?
[00:30:13] Speaker B: Oh, my goodness.
It is a really busy time of year.
What is happening outside of dyslexia right now is we talk about not really thinking things through. Right. My inability to plan really bites me in the butt sometimes.
Also agreeing things in March that happen in September. Downfall of mine we are getting. We are preparing for camping this upcoming weekend with Scouts.
Really should have read in depth the parameters for this trip. We're leaving Friday night right after. Actually, a little bit after school, which, by the way, first week of school this week.
So our kids will be absolutely bushed by the time we leave. And then it's Friday and Saturday night. We are camping at, like, a Boy Scout camp, but it's tent camping.
[00:31:16] Speaker A: Oh.
[00:31:17] Speaker B: It's supposed to be, like, 40 degrees at night.
[00:31:20] Speaker A: Oh, no.
[00:31:22] Speaker B: This is not really in line with my view of pleasurable activities.
Plus, the mosquito population right now is awful. It is awful.
And this is a Boy Scout camp that does not allow any aerosolized bug spray.
[00:31:44] Speaker A: Really?
[00:31:44] Speaker B: Yes. Because it has deet.
Yeah.
Any. Well, aerosolized. Anything not good for the environment and then.
Yes. Specifically.
Yeah. So awful.
I am trying to practice changing my attitude around this and modeling some suck it up, buttercup kind of behavior for my children, who are very looking forward to this weekend.
[00:32:17] Speaker A: Oh, good.
[00:32:18] Speaker B: Oh, good. Oh, good. What's going on with you, Nicole?
[00:32:22] Speaker A: Well, Wilson got braces.
[00:32:25] Speaker B: Oh, that's a big deal.
[00:32:27] Speaker A: He got the braces on the bottom, and he's got an expander on the top, which every night we have to click.
You know, they're making room for more teeth.
[00:32:36] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:32:37] Speaker A: And it's been interesting.
He actually remembers to remind us every night, which is good for him.
[00:32:46] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a big deal.
[00:32:50] Speaker A: It is making him a little sore, though. And unfortunately, he's always had kind of a choking problem, and it's making him choke more.
So that's not been fun. But we've definitely. He's now restricted.
He's restricting his food more now. So we're. We're working out with our speech therapist on.
Yes, we can expand that again because now we are back to.
[00:33:11] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:33:14] Speaker A: It never ends.
[00:33:15] Speaker B: It never ends. It never ends.
Oh, my goodness. Well, everybody, please follow us on social media and reach out if you have any questions or would like us to discuss a topic. If you do like our show, be sure to follow and rate our show on your favorite podcast player. This is how we reach more listeners and we get to help more families. Thank you, everybody.
[00:33:36] Speaker A: Thank you.
