Spring break is here. This spring break like all those the past 20 years reminds me of those carefree college spring breaks. You know, where your biggest worry is the best place to put your lawn chair on the beach each day and where to find the best drink specials at night.
This spring break is like those days in that the weather in Texas is gorgeous! Warm, sunny days give way to cool, crisp nights. Perfect for beach-lounging and bar-hopping. Unfortunately, that is where the similarities end. This spring break, like all of them for the last 15 1/2 years, have involved no beach-lounging and no bar-hopping. Instead, I have spent the last 15 spring breaks caring for and trying to entertain Walker.
Walker doesn't get what "spring break" is all about. He knows that he is off from school, that mom and dad are grumpy when he doesn't let them sleep in, and maybe he appreciates the nice weather. He also knows that he is terribly bored! Walker, like so many with autism, have trouble with free time. He does not know how to schedule his own time, and so he looks to mom and dad to do it for him. Unfortunately, we are only two people who are no spring chickens. We do the best we can. We try to keep his world as consistent as possible, but trying to find ways to entertain Walker and his five-year-old sister, Hope, can be exhausting! We would like a spring break too!
One way we've tried to manage the week is to continue as many of Walker's therapies as possible. On Monday he had occupational therapy and his massage therapy. Then on Tuesday night, he went to aquatic therapy. He will get another massage on Thursday.
On Wednesday, we took a ride in the afternoon. We went by Quiktrip to get frozen drinks and then we headed to the Historical park near our home. We walked around the old houses and peered in the windows. We know better than to take Walker inside where there are too many breakables. We walked and talked and enjoyed the sunshine. We also used it as an opportunity to teach Hope about local history.
Tomorrow (Thursday) we'll head to the zoo and then have lunch. Walker doesn't like loud noises, so we will look for a restaurant that is small and not crowded. If we can't find that, we will probably eat fast food and might even get something to eat at a park nearby. We will also take his mp3 player so that he can listen to music whereever we decide to eat.
I'm still not sure what we will do on Friday and Saturday. I had planned to take Walker to spend the night at a Super 8 motel as most have indoor swimming pools. But that plan was contingent on Rafe taking Hope to visit his family. He has decided not to go, so we'll have to see.
Whatever we decide to do on Friday, you can bet, it will NOT involve lounging! It will instead be centered around our kids, one with autism and one without. It will also be crazy, chaotic, and at times, miserable! But, we can rest assured that it is a day that the Lord has already planned. And he will see us through the worst and the best of it!
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