Controlled Chaos
by Tammy Copechal-Beach
This is a story about an everyday, typical, dysfunctional, average American family. There is no such thing as a family without problems. Some families have a parent who is an alcoholic, a child with asthma, or maybe a grandparent with Alzheimer's. Every family has some sort of issue it has to deal with. This is just one story, about one family, from one person's point of view, and how it dealt with the dysfunction. This is my story.
My name is Jane Deer. I am happily married to John; he is a brick and block mason and owns his own company. He is by no means a weak or small man. He is a perfectionist when it comes to work. His philosophy is “a job's not done unless it's done right.” As I stated, he is an avid deer hunter, and sometimes I think he forgets he has a family. He is, however, a very kind and generous man. It has been 20 years and I have not gotten rid of him yet; I guess he's a keeper. I like to think of myself as a kind and caring person. I worked in a preschool, specializing in autism, for 7½ years. I would like to think I have the patience of a saint. John and I are blessed with three very different children. Kyle, 20, has an IQ of 143. He should be a politician. He is a charmer and loves to debate an issue until it's dead. Next is Kalee, 17, with an IQ of 136. She has the persistence and determination of a starving mosquito. Then, there is my baby girl, Karee. She is 14, has never had an IQ test, and is the next Martha Stewart, minus the jail time, with luck.
My sister, Nurse Ellie R.N., lives just one block away. Her 12-year-old son, Adam, is diagnosed with autism. Kids with autism typically have a hard time in verbal, nonverbal, and social communication; and leisure or play activities, according to one of my sources. There is also her daughter, April, 9. Why is this important? These people play a huge part in our family. I was raised in a large family and was taught that family comes first. Later on, you will understand why I mention this. We live in a four-bedroom home on the river in a picturesque small town, sort of like Mayberry. Love it or hate it, this is my family.
I would like to start off by introducing you to my girl Kalee. She is the second to be born and the first to hit the ground running. Being born at only four pounds, she was determined to survive. By the time she was three months old, she was in a walker, with towels stuffed around her to keep her in, watching basketball on TV. This was the only way I could get her to stop crying. She can be completely independent at times and entirely attached to my hip at others. She has an indomitable spirit and hates the word "no" and has been my most challenging child. I would find her playing in her bedroom at all hours of the night and still be ready to go during the day. The doctors, however, could find nothing wrong with her, which was a relief and frustrating at the same time. When she was 2, she was diagnosed with severe migraines and night terrors. Despite lack of sleep and debilitating headaches, she was always looking for something to do.
Kalee was a beautiful toddler, with strawberry blonde hair and big grey eyes. She had a laugh and smile that were contagious. She was a firecracker from the start and never sat still. From the moment she woke up, until the moment she fell asleep, she was on the go. Not only was she extremely active, but she was also very demanding. She was a tiny little thing who would stomp her little foot and command everyone's attention. At 5, she decided to find her independence.
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