Kingsport has a wonderful park system. I thought we wouldn't have as many opportunities when we moved here from Asheville, but I was so pleasantly surprised to find the opposite was true.
Today, Dana and I went to our favorite park. It's called Darrell's Dream, and it is a boundless playground at Warrior's Path. The park is huge, and built for children of all ages and abilities. Dana has recently gotten more adventurous and has been climbing more than using the ramps. Usually, Dana is the center of attention and attracts every child around. They all want to play with her. This happens at school, at parks, and sometimes when we just go out to the mall. Most of the time, she ignores me at the park and goes to play with the other children who come up to her. Today, however, she held my hand into the park, and started on her favorite piece of equipment. The first child came up to her, and she screamed and ran to me crying. Same happened for the second, third, and fourth child. I can see that it disappoints the other children and that they don't understand why a perfectly normal looking child would behave in this way.
So we became the center of our own world. I began hearing "your turn, Mommy" and "you can do it, Mommy!" She was grabbing my hand and leading me around the park and really wanting me to join in her activities. On the way out, Dana wanted me to carry her. She doesn't usually tolerate that much, but today she asked for it--and cuddled and kissed all the way to the car. Today was the most fun I've had at the park in a long time, and I'm starting to get a glimpse of the future that we could be close in a way that a lot of parents with autistic children miss out on. Maybe a little closer to "normal". Someday I may get a "heart to heart" conversation; but right now, I'll revel in the "hand in hand" conversation we had today.
Krishelle
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