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