There are always those ideas that sound so great in theory. And maybe they are great even when put into action. You just have to adjust your definition of great. While we live in the desert, it only takes us an hour and a half and we can see snow, mountains, and winter in all it's glory. I'm naturally a spontaneous person and can change plans with ease. This doesn't make for a good combination with ASD. T likes schedule, routine, things she can count on. Throwing a spur of the moment adventure at her is like asking anyone else to pack up and move to a new country tomorrow. So while she was beyond excited by the prospect of sledding, making snow angels, etc., the whole thing also caused major anxiety and a need to control something. By the time the snow was in sight she was no longer excited about sledding and instead was talking about how dangerous it was to be up on a mountain and if she would fall and die. Awesome! The last 45 min. of the drive was spent convincing her that no one would die that day as a result of sledding and making snow angels. When we finally arrived and parked the car, it seemed like this *might* turn out all right. Everyone got bundled up and headed for the snow. T could NOT get the hang of walking through the snow. At one point she had her boots off and was walking in her socks. It was 39 degrees! She went down the hill roughly 5 times and stated she was ready to go home. She had rolled around on the ground so much each time she fell, that her clothes were soaked. If she couldn't go home, she at least wanted to go to the car, change clothes, and sit. Her sister, M on the other hand was LOVING this winter wonderland. So while J continued sledding with M, I took T to the car to change her jeans and hopefully take her back into playing for awhile. She got changed and then couldn't think of anything, but getting in the floor in front of her carseat. "I just have to look for something, Mom." I knew that translated into, "Hold on, I just need to hoard something real quick so I can feel some control of this situation." Sure enough, she emerged with a handful of hair ties and more barettes....to add to the 20 that were all ready in her hair. I usually have a pretty good grip and can go with whatever she needs. I'm sure I sounded like some kind of nut to those around us. I mean really, who's standing there saying to an almost 6 yr old, "Come ON. Do you want to sit here with your hair ties all day or play in the snow?!?". I all ready knew the answer to that of course. Sitting there with her hair ties all day would be exactly what she wanted to do. It took 15-20 min, but I did get her coaxed back out for a little longer.
There are those moments when you realize what parents who only live in the NT world take for granted. Something that makes most kids happy and excited, instills fear, anxiety, and obsessiveness in T. The thought of going to a new place and trying something new actually brought our sweet girl to the point of worrying about death.
All in all, it WAS a good day. We took the girls to do something they'd never done before and had some quality family time. Was it very trying at times? Absolutely! I'm not sure I can recall a day in the last 6 yrs that hasn't been trying. That's our life. We just have a different definition of what constitutes a good day is all.
