Outings

Ever since Isaac was born, I have had a really hard time getting out of the house by myself with all three kids.  Grocery trips, Target trips, doctor appointments.  They are all necessary and became doable because I learned how to best accomplish the task at hand.  But fun outings like play dates, park trips, etc. are really difficult. 

I'll be honest, for about a year or so, I thought it reflected poorly on me and my parenting.  If only I were a better mom... more organized... a better disciplinarian... braver... the me-bashing that went goes on in my head isn't always pretty.

So when a precious angel sent from God explained to me that Eli had such a hard time with outings because of sensory integration problems, it was music to my ears.  Taking it a step farther, and now realizing that Eli has such a difficult time with outings because he most likely has autism makes even more sense.  

One of his biggest triggers is crowds and particularly crowds of small kids.  Obviously, things that are designed for his enjoyment also attract other small children as well.  I've gotten better at "scheduling" when we go to certain places based on what I expect the crowd volume to be.  It's all very tricky.  

But I am learning.

I told Ryan the other day that I just can't take all 3 kids to the park by myself, because it is way too difficult to keep up with both boys.  Eli can turn and run faster than you can imagine.  Beyond that, if he finds a quiet place and is playing in his own world, he likely will not answer if I call his name.  It's not his fault, it's just the way it is.  So we don't go to the park.  

But I don't want to be a prisoner at home just because it's the safest place.  I want all three kids to be able to get out and have fun and try new things and explore and learn.  And it is so much fun for me to be able to watch them do all of those things. 

So this morning, I decided we needed an outing.  And this one turned out so well!  Our first stop was the local donut place because it was National Donut Day or something and so everyone got a free donut.  

After they were covered in chocolate, I took them to the nature center in our little town.  It is such a wonderful place that is part of a National Park area here.  Inside the nature center they have a huge fish tank.  And if you ask Eli, he will tell you that there are alligators inside.  :)  There are just fish, but they did have an alligator gar fish once upon a time and so he still is convinced that there are alligators.  They also have snakes, which he argued were worms today.  And Isaac was super excited about the turtles which were moving all around.  There is also a look out area where you can watch squirrels, birds, and even wild turkey come to feed.  The boys love that part!  

After a little bit, a group from a preschool came and it got a little tricky, so we headed outside and decided to walk one of the short trails.  It was absolutely perfect!  Eva was Isaac's buddy for the day, so they got to hold hands everyplace we went.  They were so cute.  :)  That left me to be Eli's buddy as we all walked the trail together.  It was so fun to watch them notice things.  Eli spotted a caterpillar that no one else saw.  He sat down right beside it and wanted to touch it, but I convinced him to leave it alone.  Isaac became the proud owner of a stick that was almost as big as he was.  And Eva continuously warned us of the dangers of poison ivy.  She's a worry wort like her mother.  :-/

We were the only ones on the trail, so we took our time, everyone was relaxed, and we fully enjoyed this cool, early summer day.  

I'm thankful for opportunities to learn, and for peaceful outings when they happen.