For children with sensory issues, sometimes the world can just be too much. It is too loud. Too bright. Too crowded. Too hot. There is too much sensory input to process and too little time to take in the assault on their senses. It can be easy to get caught up in the rush when you are out in the world, both for fun and for errands. There are times when things simply have to get done in a certain time frame, but there are others when it is okay to take a deep breath and go a little slower than usual.
My daughter is easily overwhelmed by crowds and by noise, but she still enjoys trips to the petting zoo or beaches or museums. I can’t change the world for her, as much as I would like to at times. I can’t keep her away from the world either, because there is just too much to experience. But we can take it slowly. We can experience the world at her own pace and her comfort level. I try to avoid the busiest times at her favorite places, but things don’t always go according to plan. …continue reading
I LOVE Summertime. I love everything about it. Being from the North, you crave light and sunshine and warmth and all that goes with it. Or at least I do. I love when you put shorts on and still sweat. I love getting mud beneath my fingernails from working in the garden. I love being able to sit unhurried in the backyard reading while sipping my coffee. I love being able to go somewhere on a whim, just drop the list on the table and pack a picnic and head to a park…or the lake…or somewhere, anywhere…the more unplanned the better.
This is what I love about summer. Not so much, my Jax. Oh, have I learned lessons the hard way over the last two summers, that exhaustion from meltdowns and stress from his anxiousness and constant questioning can sweep away the lazy, hazy like the wind does to those wispy dandelion seeds. Poof. Peace gone, flown away as it feels like he can ruin the most fun of sunshiny days.
Oh yes, I’ve learned my lesson from the past, or at least I hope so, and now have five simple rules I am living by this summer: …continue reading
