Funny Exhaustions

So one of the groups I work with are young children (ages 2-3) with down syndrome. I have regularly had 2 children there, and every so often a third client who just started. So here's a picture for you that happened yesterday....

Clients A and B, who regularly come, were there as well as client C who has not been there in a few weeks. Client C was struggling and cried throughout most of the session, and I'm juggling soothing and comforting him while also keeping the other two engaged. After about 20 minutes I get him calm, and things are okay...for about ten seconds when client A gets up to the other side of the room. She frequently does this; I am often redirecting her behaviors to get her engaged and focused on what we are doing. I mean, these are toddlers for goodness sakes. Anyway, I had not been able to pay as much attention to her as usual, because of trying to help client C. I get up to bring client A back to the group, my guitar strap comes undone and my guitar goes crashing to the ground. (My guitar is okay, thank goodness) but it causes a very large crashing sound which startles client B and he begins screaming. Because client B is screaming, client C begins crying again, and meanwhile, client A is refusing to listen to me and come back to the group. So I have client B in my arms screaming, client A glaring daggers at me, and client C crying in his chair, and I somehow get client A in a chair in front of the piano, move the white board so I can get the piano bench over to the piano, sit client B next to me on the bench and client C on my lap, and we are all playing the piano and everyone is calm because oooo, something fun to do. Of course, there is now drool and snot all over the piano keys from all the screaming and crying now on their hands, but you probably didn't need to know that fact. Okay, so we're all playing and singing and people get calm. After a few minutes of this, I determine the energy in the room is appropriate to return to our circle, and so I get up to put client C on his chair. As my back is turned (oops, what's wrong with me? Turn my back on 2 year olds??!) putting client C in his chair, client A accidentally smashes client B's fingers into the piano and client B begins screaming again. Mind you, the whole piano thing came about to calm client B down, so now what? I tell client A she needs to be careful, because look, you hurt his fingers, and although I was calm and reasonable (I think? Hard to tell with all the screaming and crying going on. My brain doesn't work the same with that kind of stimulation!) - she is upset because she did something wrong and didn't mean to, and she kinda shuts down and doesn't really want to listen or participate. So I'm soothing client B and finally get him interested when I bring the book out (oh, I will forever love Emily Ross for teaching me the value of using books in music therapy with young children) - and we get everyone sitting down to start the book. Everyone is calm and I talk again to client A and begin improvising a song about when we hurt someone we say I'm sorry, even when we didn't mean to, it was an accident, but when I hurt someone I say I'm sorry, or something to that effect....one of those improvisations that come and fulfill their purpose but you can't remember them five minutes later. Anyway, client A apologizes to client B, client B has stopped screaming, and client C is happy in his chair and we get to move forward to further music therapy experiences.

But can I just say, phew!!!??!!!

That's it...that's my funny and exhausting story.