Summer fun!

 These three pictures are Meghann's  cousins who spent almost every day with us in the summer. 

The other morning I was sitting on the deck focused on the blooms of the lilac bushes, I listened to the sound of distant lawn mowers running and the occasional train whistle. My thoughts drifted to Meghann. This June she will be 30 years old. I can't believe how fast time as gone.

The sounds of children playing in the neighborhood reminded me that the spring and summer wasn't always exciting for Meghann or me. Summer outdoor activities brought new challenges for Meghann who was non ambulatory. It also left me trying to figure out how to keep Meghann involved with other children. When Meghann attended school she was able to interact with her classmates. The end of the school year only meant that I had to find a way to fulfill Meghann's days with something besides puzzles and watching me style hair. Anyone that knows Meghann will tell you that puzzles are her passion and she is pretty good at completing them.

I wanted her summers to be as “normal” as possible. Summer is filled with trips to the park,running, bike rides, and other outdoor activities. All of these activities had obstacles for a wheelchair. Pushing a wheelchair through grass can be very challenging. Transferring Meghann from one park ride to another was exhausting and backbreaking. It was also impossible to keep up with the short attention span of children on the playground. I stumbled accidentally onto the perfect solution. It was my moms dream that turned out to be the answer for Meghann to be included. That dream was to have an in ground swimming pool built.

Meghann was not even 1 year old when I took her into my arms and walked down the steps into the swimming pool. She instantly loved it! She was hooked ! We continued for over 10 years spending every summer day in the swimming pool at my moms until we had one built in our own back yard. There were times when Meghann was sick and she would move her arms in swimming strokes to indicate to me that she wanted to go swimming. She couldn't get enough of the water. It was a win win situation. She was able to get plenty of exercise, keep her muscles flexible and interact with her peers. Meghann's three cousins would join us almost every day to swim along with my friends kids. Countless children learn to swim in my moms pool.

 It was not unusual to have at least 6 kids in the pool every afternoon. It was the place that Meghann was on the same level as everyone else. Her inability to walk and keep up with children often left her isolated. While kids are swimming they are all together and including Meghann in their games. The pool became a place for Meghann to be a “normal” kid. A place where she was treated like everyone else and not ignored, overlooked or left behind. Summer fun can be a challenge for special needs children. Often differently abled children have limited summer activities to join. Differently abled adults have the some of the same challenges. This month at the online support group (small steps) I hope that parents of differently abled children and adults will join me in brainstorming resources, challenges and success that they have had with summer activities. Together we can make sure special needs families have plenty of choices and opportunities to have a active fun summer. Let's make those small steps a joint effort for all differently abled children and adults.

Send me an email or post on my blog your ideas and suggestions for activities. We will be discussing summer fun at the next online support group meeting.

Small steps online support group meets:  The first Tuesday of every month.

Next meeting- May 2^nd at 7 p.m. 
 Online: zoom
ID number 859 589 845

Small Steps- Friendship

Friends

Meghann and her boys

Smallsteps- The online support group for special needs parents and caregivers was held April 4th.

It was another successful night filled with laughs, inspiration and genuine sharing by all who attended. The wide range of people participating allowed for positive and negative experiences to be exchanged about friendship. A father in the group asked some questions that provided a  different perspective on our topic of friendship.

Alexis and Pam
Then....and .....Now

Lisa was the guest speaker for the evening. She discussed her motivation, challenges, and joy for helping her daughter maintain a long lasting friendship.

Lisa’s daughter Alexis traveled 50 miles one way to attend school until she entered high school. Like many parents of special needs children Lisa was concerned that Alexis wouldn’t be able to interact with other children outside of school due to the distance she traveled each day. Alexis managed to put that concern to rest quickly.  It was in the first year of school that Alexis met Pammy. The bond was instant.

Alexis and Pammy were diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a young age. Both girls are non ambulatory and incontinent.  Although Pammy has a limited vocabulary Alexis and Pammy communicate with ease.  The girls challenges have not stopped them or their moms from concentrating on their abilities rather than their disabilities. They do the same activities that other friends do together. They have sleepovers, listen to music, watch television, and frequent  celebrations with families on both sides.

Lisa told the group how she and Pammy’s mom have never let the girls special needs stop them from being friends. They worked together to find solutions to the challenges such as transportation, abilities and distance that they faced getting the girls together. Transporting two wheelchairs at times was tough and as the girls grew older it became more difficult. Together these determined moms figured out ways to bypass those challenges to foster this lovely friendship. The girls have graduated high school and have continued their friendship to this day. Today Alexis is 24 and Pammy is 25 years old. I have a feeling that there are many more exciting and fun memories in the future for these two friends.

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The first Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. the online support group for special needs parents and caregivers meet. The next meeting will be May 2nd.

The online meeting place is called zoom. It is laptop, Ipad or cell phone friendly. There is a one time registration. From that point on all you will need to do is to type in the meeting ID number.

A friend passed this picture onto me. A GREAT way for children with mobility challenges to participate in Easter egg hunts.

I wish I had thought of this when Meg was little. She wasn’t able to participate in Easter Egg hunts since she was in a wheelchair. The kids were always way too fast. I never worried about her not getting enough for Easter considering she always managed  to receive an abundance from my salon customers.

Thanks Connie H. for sharing this photo.

Online support group meeting tonight

When: Tuesday April 4th at 7 p.m.
Where: Online zoom
ID number 859 589 845