A Walk on the wild side
My son, Cade, and I went for a short walk in our neighborhood Sunday morning. We were the early risers, and I wanted to work in a walk before the heat of the day.
I originally thought this would be a good workout, although I realized it would be a short walk. His legs are short, and mine are long, so each step I took was several for him.
I realized right away, too, that this was more of an adventure than cardio exercise.
After crossing the road, he stopped to look at some leaves that had fallen from the neighbor’s tree. … A few more steps, and he stopped to look at more leaves.
Then, he splashed his shoe into a rain puddle and then another, and then another.
When we made it to an area with sidewalks, Cade discovered cracks and had to step on every crack! It made me remember the saying, “Step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back.”
Halfway through the walk, he reached his arms to me and said, “Help,” because he was tuckered out.
I promised him a banana if he would make it all the way home.
Maybe I should have taken him in a stroller, but our walk through the neighborhood just wouldn’t have been the same.
– Linda Lynn
LLynn@opubco.com
UFO: Unidentified Fund-draining object?
I’m not an astronomer or an accountant, but I think I’ve discovered a black hole, and my money is slowly and methodically being sucked into this abyss.
It wasn’t noticeable before … $5 here, $10 there, $20 …
Although it seems to have just formed during the past year, it’s getting stronger by the week.
I fondly refer to this vacuum as ”teenager,” more specifically “Katie.”
Her expenses: gas for her car, school fees, snacks with friends, presents for friends, club fees, more food. The latest store run produced Smorz cereal and Powerade. Yum.
I ration the money a little at a time, and I hold her accountable for how she spends it.
Her dad’s solution: Get a job.
My response: Just keep up the good grades.
For now, I’ll keep opening my wallet a little at a time and hope the gravitational pull from this celestial phenomena doesn’t drain all my money.
– Linda Lynn
Flying Easter eggs? Being a “normal” family
You should still be able to enjoy family outings and restaurants and vacations.
What I’ve learned, however, is that you sometimes might have to adjust your lifestyle a bit, depending on your child. In my case, my son has Down Syndrome.
Not all children are alike, and not all Down Syndrome children are alike. But sometimes there are similar traits or conditions that will present themselves in a child.
For instance, when my son was a little younger, he had a dangerous habit of throwing objects across the room. One Easter, my loving and very patient extended family got to witness Easter eggs thrown through the air in my niece’s living room. Thankfully, some even joined in, making it more fun than a distraction.
This throwing habit took a lot of work to correct, and I’m happy to say, it is much safer in our houses now.
He also has never liked loud sounds. We still can’t take him to a movie or he will start crying. He also doesn’t like dark places. So, we can’t yet go to movie theaters as a family. However, what we have done is take turns. Or, this weekend, we saw a movie on the RedHawks Field in Bricktown during a family movie night.
Eating out is also sometimes a challenge. He used to want to knock everything — drinks, food, utensils – off the table. It was as if it were an impulse he had. Now, we make sure to clear all those fancy salt and pepper racks, menus and candles from his area, so he’s not tempted.
Families with children always have to make choices, whether one activity is suitable for their circumstances. But it was important to me to at least try to continue introducing new and regular experiences.
What I’ve also realized is that, due to our family’s special circumstances, we have been able to grow and experience new situations we might have missed otherwise.
– Linda Lynn
