The Attack of The Tiny Rubber Bands

When you have a child with severe fine motor delays and ADHD (meaning LOW frustration levels), the request to go to the craft store to buy a kit to make bracelets out of tiny little rubber bands does not exactly elicit a response of excitement.   When that request was made this evening, my brain immediately jumped to trying to distract him.

He was relentless.  He really wanted to try this and he was willing to spend his own money.  So I thought more.  He has been on a waiting list for Occupational Therapy for a year and a half, and in another couple of months insurance will no longer cover it (conveniently, there are no in-network providers in our major metropolitan area), and his neurologist did tell me to encourage any activities that would work on those skills…and so off to Michael’s we went.

We got home, and he set the bag on the counter and announced he was going to see if the boys across the street could play outside.  Whew, coming down with a cold and not feeling so well, so happy to not have to deal with any whining and crying.  But the boys were not home.  Bag came out, rubber bands spread out all over the dining room table.  And Aiden quietly sat there for an hour, looking up instructions on You Tube, and attempting to follow them.  No bracelet at that time, not even a few loops, but no problems either.

I told him I was proud of his efforts, and asked if he wanted to go get a pizza for dinner.   Of course he did, so off we went, and upon return he immediately returned to the rubber bands.  After a few minutes, he asked if I could possibly help figure out the directions.  He had all the bands on the loom perfectly, but just couldn’t get them to loop together right.  No problem, this should be fairly easy, after all this is a kid’s craft item. It is now obvious that children are apparently smarter than me.

After about 20 minutes, I figured out what we were supposed to be doing with the design he was trying to do.  I showed him how, but the bands kept coming off the loom when he tried, and frustration kicked in.  He went off to his room teary-eyed, and when I went to check on him he said that he would never be able to do this.

“If that is your attitude, yep, you are right.  You will never be able to do what you don’t believe you can.”  And then I left to go clean the kitchen.

About 3 minutes later, I saw him quietly sneak back to the dining room.  He took the rubber bands he had on the loom off and started over.  He asked me to show him again.  I did, and getting the bands on the hook is difficult for him, thanks to those fine motor delays, but he managed to get a few of the loops done.  I saw the frustration coming back, asked him if he wanted to watch a movie and start over tomorrow.  I got a big nod in return.

No bracelet yet, but he has not given up and there were no meltdowns, and that is a huge accomplishment.  I let him know how proud I was of his determination, and of how much more mature he was in handling things.  And I really am.

Tomorrow there will be a bracelet.  I know there will.

Now if only I could figure out how to successfully make one….That’s why they have wine.