At the park

Colin and Ethan went to the park this afternoon. I stayed home while Silas napped. At Kowhai Park, our favourite park in the city, there are a myriad of climbing structures, swings, LONG, high slides, and even a flying fox (zipline).

Ethan, as some of you know, has always been pretty cautious about swings, slides, climbing. Part of it has been his sensory issues. I really just think the idea of "letting go" and the sensations that come with sliding and swinging were just too much for his body and mind to cope with. But he's coping more and more, the older he gets. He is proud to say he's slid down every slide at the park. Today, he told Colin they had to go to Kowhai Park (Colin wanted to go to the beach) because Ethan wanted to swing on the swings and climb the "mountain".

He amazes me. It's typical stuff for a boy his age, but knowing where he comes from, these are gigantic leaps. He has matured and grown and developed at an astounding rate in the past year or so. His willingness to try new things with his body and take RISKS has increased a thousand-fold.

I met up with another mom at the park one day, who was fretting over her kids climbing a particularly high structure and I watched Ethan do the same thing, and thought, wow, I'm just glad he WANTS to climb it! LOL

Today, Colin said Ethan even wanted to try the flying fox!! Wow. He watched several kids go on it, and stood in line, but seemed to get scared the closer it came to his turn. Colin told him he did not have to do it. Ethan said, "But I WANT to." And that sums him up very well. I think he's ALWAYS wanted to take risks, but his body and mind stop him.

He'll get there. He WILL go on that flying fox, I have no doubt. It didn't happen today, but it will.

And, completely off topic, Colin overheard an amusing conversation in the boys' bathroom at the park. He let Ethan go in by himself, but stood just outside the door. From there, he could hear everything inside. A larger, "tough" looking kid entered the bathroom shortly after Ethan. This was the conversation Colin heard:

Kid: Are you a boy or a girl?

Ethan: A boy.

Kid: Why do you have a pink backpack?

(Ethan chose his pink backpack, that looks like a school bus, from the Gap a couple years ago).

Ethan: Boys can like pink, too.

Kid: Oh yeah. I forgot.

I'm so proud of my assertive, self-assured son.