A School Performance

Monster Man was in a performance at school yesterday, and it gave me a chance to realize something I had never noticed before. When he was up on stage, singing with the other students, he didn't have his usual eye blinking or throat clearing (or sniffing) tics. He was actually able to control them up on the stage, which really amazed me with how much he struggles to control them at other times.

He's always been a bit of a goof in front of a crowd. During VBS performances at other churches, Monster Man would be the one child rocking out on air guitar throughout the songs. When other kids are standing still singing, or even just swaying a little, Monster Man is the one that has to dance. Sure enough, while he wasn't tic-ing on stage last night, he was emphasizing words of the song with a swing of his arm or he was tilting his head from side to side to the music. It occurred to me last night that maybe, just maybe, these little antics are his way of controlling the tics. Most importantly, though - They kept a smile on his face!

I was so proud of Monster Man last night, watching him and knowing how hard he was working on the inside to keep his tics under control. Sometimes we take things like that for granted.