Stop and think about that.
Words from a humble, insightful docent at the St. Louis Aquarium.
It’s a girls weekend for E2 and I. We went decadent and booked ourselves at the Union Station which has everything; light shows, fire shows, a koi pond, a Ferris wheel and yes an aquarium too.
I was gonna skip the aquarium because let’s face it-we lived in Monterey and were members. Shoot-I even worked there as an ASL interpreter. Well I’m glad we didn’t skip it. We loved it. It’s very hands on and I got my blog juices flowing again.
Being in public can be very stressful for us special parents. I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t have anxiety about going to our community pool or local restaurants because my children might become over stimulated. It’s stressful and hard ON THEM. Part of my job is to learn to navigate life given our unique circumstances. I have paused to realize what they need is for me to accept them how they are and learn how their brains think and feel. Therein lies the beauty of teaching them to manage themselves knowing the judgement that stems from the societal expectations in our culture is our biggest barrier. I can’t always try to teach them to fit in and conform. It’s not healthy for any of us.
It’s been a few years now since I’ve really known my children have exceptional needs. I’ve made the accommodations with our new friends here and at school. Both kids even go to JuiJitsu now. But big trip are still hard. That’s why Sam and I have decided to decide and conquer this summer. We are even learning to accept how their brains demand fairness and explaining these better to keep the peace in the Hull House. Fairness is a tough concept on most kids but it’s one that I believe will come when they arrive it. Not all concepts are taught. They are learned and later applied.
It was such a simple sentence but so genius.
Animals don’t judge.
Be an animal.
CH and E2
Chelsea Hull 
Leave a comment