I am so thankful for the warm weather! For the first time in way too long, My Boy was able to get outside without a snow-suit on. He was able to get outside and play on his beloved tire swing.
He would get on it and spin around and around like crazy. Listening to him giggle and make his little noises just warmed my heart. So I did what any mom would do – I tried to sneak a picture and a video of him. I cracked the door open just a bit so that I could get a good shot of him. But he saw me!
SNAGGED!!
He hopped off his swing and came running over to me. I made an offhanded comment about how it looked like he was having a lot of fun. Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the swing. Next, he took my hand and put it on the tire. I asked if he needed help. He made some noises and bounced up and down. It was obvious that wasn’t what he wanted. Then I realized he was asking me if I wanted a turn on his swing.
I almost cried right then and there
Instead, I thanked him profusely for taking turns and sharing his swing with me. There was no way was I going to get on that contraption in a skirt though. So I told him ‘no thank you’ and praised him and praised him.
I am so proud of that kid. Children with Autism can struggle with turn taking, asking others to play with them and so many other social issues surrounding play. My boy is 12 and it is still very hard for him. This was such a huge step, in the right direction.
And I did manage to grab some photo evidence of his enjoyment after all.
