Outings

Outings may seem tricky at first, but I always felt it was important to be taking lots and lots of adventures. I felt like venturing out into the broader world allowed my children to develop interests outside of our home and let’s face it, I needed to get out of the house too.

I did plenty of day trips on my own with my kids, but going with carefully chosen pals can make things easier. Michael’s friend S was amazing with him from day one. She was in his kindergarten class and they became best buds right away. Bonus, she came with a fantastic family included! She had three siblings who are all great kids and got along well with both of my boys. Their mom, K., became a dear friend of mine. Love it when that happens! They were a family we could spend the whole day with and the kids were still begging us for more at the end. Lucky!

Note: you will probably see a hundred different entries on aquariums as we go on, so I may as well give you the background.  Will adores the ocean! He loves everything that lives in the ocean. Proof provided in the photo above.  True to our parenting philosophy, we encouraged Will to explore what he enjoyed and therefore, we have been to every aquarium within driving distance…many more than once.  Michael also enjoys the aquarium and he still asks to go, even when Will is off at college and can’t join us.

An Important Exception

If your child bolts or is going through a phase where it is difficult to keep them safe in public, it may be better to wait to venture out. Michael certainly went through phases where outings were tougher. We needed to address the behavior first, then venture out once he was better able to handle it.

Big Ideas:

1. Let your children be themselves.  Help them explore things that interest them.
2. Include great friends whenever you can.
3. Exposing your special needs child to new experiences prevents their world from becoming too small.
4. Keep experiences short and positive until you know what your child enjoys and what they struggle with.