Do you think about all the places you take your kids? Do you think about all the different stimuli you may encounter in that place and how your children might react to it? Don't think that most people do. But, I am often overwhelmed by thinking about all these pieces. Is is going to be loud? Are the lights going to be bright? Will there be stairs? Will there be a lot of people?
I recall a time when O was around 2 and my mom took him and the girls to an ice cream shop. He would not go in. Really, he was in a panic outside the door of the ice cream shop and would not budge. Since I was not there, I cannot accurately describe his apprehension. But, I had definitely seen it before. An unfamiliar place. And, he doesn't like ice cream. Even now, when we go as a family to our favorite frozen yogurt place, we have to sit and eat outside. I also have to make sure I have enough change with me, so that O can throw money into the large fountain while we eat our yogurt. It's what we do. It's how we adapt.
Additionally, there are things that are essential in our household, that may not be important in yours, like ketchup and timers. These are the things that, when we run out of them, or forget them, a mini crisis ensues. Just the other day, O didn't eat his lunch until 4pm, after M was able to get to the store for some ketchup.
Timers...O cannot live without them. Without timers, there is potential for each and every transition in our day to turn into a meltdown. We use timers at bath time, to bring an end to computer or tv time, to signal bedtime or time to leave the house. Using a timer just makes things easier. There's something about being prepared for the transition. The simple act of setting the timer gives O a warning that the activity he loves (e.g. playing) will soon be ending or the task he hates (e.g. hair washing) will soon be coming.
These are some of the things that plague my child with SPD and our family. The world is chaotic and complicated. On a good day, a regulated day, that world can be navigated without incident. But there are those other days. The days that are filled with questions and complaints, even about the most routine things.
However, all of these challenges give us opportunities for growth. There are places we revisit where O's adaptability and increased level of comfort are clearly evident. We recently visited the pumpkin patch, as a family. We decided to go to the same place we had gone last year, which is a true pumpkin patch. In addition to pumpkins, it also has train rides, a forest to explore, narrow trails, a suspension bridge, tunnels, hay bales, and corn stalks.
Both M and I were amazed at how O was able to navigate with ease through these things that had been obstacles for him last year. Although, he still wouldn't attempt the bridge or sit near the hay, I had to make him slow down on the paths and help him as he attempted to lift a huge pumpkin. Revisiting this place led us to a realize how much he has accomplished in the past year. I hope to be writing about our trip to the pumpkin patch next year, with many more successes to share.
I recall a time when O was around 2 and my mom took him and the girls to an ice cream shop. He would not go in. Really, he was in a panic outside the door of the ice cream shop and would not budge. Since I was not there, I cannot accurately describe his apprehension. But, I had definitely seen it before. An unfamiliar place. And, he doesn't like ice cream. Even now, when we go as a family to our favorite frozen yogurt place, we have to sit and eat outside. I also have to make sure I have enough change with me, so that O can throw money into the large fountain while we eat our yogurt. It's what we do. It's how we adapt.
Additionally, there are things that are essential in our household, that may not be important in yours, like ketchup and timers. These are the things that, when we run out of them, or forget them, a mini crisis ensues. Just the other day, O didn't eat his lunch until 4pm, after M was able to get to the store for some ketchup.
Timers...O cannot live without them. Without timers, there is potential for each and every transition in our day to turn into a meltdown. We use timers at bath time, to bring an end to computer or tv time, to signal bedtime or time to leave the house. Using a timer just makes things easier. There's something about being prepared for the transition. The simple act of setting the timer gives O a warning that the activity he loves (e.g. playing) will soon be ending or the task he hates (e.g. hair washing) will soon be coming.
These are some of the things that plague my child with SPD and our family. The world is chaotic and complicated. On a good day, a regulated day, that world can be navigated without incident. But there are those other days. The days that are filled with questions and complaints, even about the most routine things.
However, all of these challenges give us opportunities for growth. There are places we revisit where O's adaptability and increased level of comfort are clearly evident. We recently visited the pumpkin patch, as a family. We decided to go to the same place we had gone last year, which is a true pumpkin patch. In addition to pumpkins, it also has train rides, a forest to explore, narrow trails, a suspension bridge, tunnels, hay bales, and corn stalks.
Both M and I were amazed at how O was able to navigate with ease through these things that had been obstacles for him last year. Although, he still wouldn't attempt the bridge or sit near the hay, I had to make him slow down on the paths and help him as he attempted to lift a huge pumpkin. Revisiting this place led us to a realize how much he has accomplished in the past year. I hope to be writing about our trip to the pumpkin patch next year, with many more successes to share.
Although this will not be my last post related to sensory processing, especially since it is so much a part of my daily life, it will be the last thing I leave with you during Sensory Awareness Month. I hope that you have learned something about me, about my son, and about sensory processing this month.
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| O's first experience at a pumpkin patch. The face says it all. Fall 2009 |
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| O didn't want to take a picture WITH his pumpkin, just OF it. Obviously, there is still room for growth. Fall 2012 |
1 comment:
Yay for triumphs at the pumpkin patch! And in O's defense, that bridge is a little much for me too :)
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