Hi everyone, I would just like to say thank you for all your help and I have looked back on the forums to get some more ideas to help us.
We are starting to struggle with our daughter again because the house extension is happening. It started last week and she was excited and happy but now that's changed and she is very overwhelmed. The extension involves the whole house but at the moment we are adding the downstairs bathroom and they are currently moving the window and the door way. They've started building the bathroom already. We are struggling to keep her in the house because my husband works days (6-4) so he's out, and I have to look after my other 2 children who won't stop arguing (sibling love!) as well as our dog, who doesn't like the noise and strangers. It's all confusing to him. Basically I have my hands full because we can't leave the dog by himself for long and I have to make sure all the kids are alright.
But my biggest issue is my eldest daughter because she keeps leaving the house, with or without my permission. Sometimes she'll ask, sometimes she won't. She wears ear defenders all day so when she's out there's less sensory input but she's very vulnerable. The front door is unlocked now because the builders are in and out but the gate is the main way she leaves anyway. We try to break their day up by taking them out but this just overloads her even more. She does have her phone on her all the time so we always have her location but I'm worried about her being hit by a car or something happening to her because she has little sense of danger. She's slept in the forest before, next to a road once, in a park. She's walked in the road causing chaos for drivers. It's worrying for any parent. We try to keep her involved in the building work and what's happening and she now knows who's having which bedroom when it's finished, and she's happy with it.
I'm not quite sure what to do because the builders come and go, it's very loud and she's very overwhelmed so she leaves to escape, and I need eyes everywhere. Like I said, I have to tidy up, make lunch, walk the dog, do shopping sometimes, sort the children out, and keep my eyes on the all, which is impossible to do when they are all in different places. Any ideas how to keep her in the house, or make the building work easier for her. It's a big change
