We went apple picking on a sunny fall day...just like any family. I think this is something that people often don't get about families of kids with special needs: We have our challenges but in many ways, we are just like other families.
We had to stop more times than we imagined we'd need to en route to the farm...just like any family.
The kids fought in the back seat...just like any family.
I had to remove their electronic devices from their hands so they would look up at the fall foliage...just like any family.
The kids wanted to take more bags and pick more apples than we could humanly consume in a year...just like any family.
We were divided about green vs. red apples...just like any family.
At first the kids went for the low-hanging apples...just like any family.
The kids only wanted to take the apples with perfect coloring even though I told them they were all yummy...just like any family.
The kids were a wee bit competitive about who could get more apples...just like any family.
One of the kids had to pretend there was a raging fire in the orchard and he needed to put it out...OK, not just like any family.
Then the kids decided to only go for out-of-reach fruit and suddenly they were begging us to practically climb trees...just like any family.
Then the kids had a fight because somebody stepped on somebody's foot and somebody clonked someone on the head with an apple when it fell off a branch...just like any family.
Then the kids got bored and we had to convince them to stay a while longer...just like any family.
Then we sang silly songs as we picked apples...just like any family.
Then the kids got hungry for lunch even though it was 11 a.m....just like any family.
Then we remembered that we hadn't packed any snacks and come to think of it maybe we should have worn sunscreen...just like any family.
Then the kids wanted to buy pumpkins that practically outweighed their bodies...just like any family.
Then we let the kids have ice-cream before dinner because we found the most awesome homemade ice-cream place...kinda sorta like any family.
Then we stayed too late in the area and hit traffic and got home way too late...just like any family.
Then we Googled apple pie recipes...just like any family.
Then we went to sleep content, with visions of apple pies and homemade applesauce dancing in our heads...just like any family.
So true! Special needs families are just like any other families except our families have a few extra challenges.
ReplyDeleteSo true. Our trip to the orchard may look different,(no eating apples and being anxious for one kid and trying to pick the all the grass for the other) but we are basically like any other family. You inspired me to take that trip to the orchard next weekend though I know what it will look like. I focused on the different, not the same. My 10 year old daughter has Eosinophilic esophagitis and generalized anxiety disorder while my 8 year old son has PDD-NOS and epilepsy. Thank you and have fun making apple pie!
ReplyDeleteAnd that's how it is with families with special needs children - we're just like any other family, yet we're not like any other family. It just depends on...well, a lot of factors...but sometimes, everything works together so well that it makes the difficult days easier to deal with. (Grandmother of a wonderful boy with special needs.)
ReplyDeleteLooks like a typical day out! Love the icecream before dinner too. Bron
ReplyDeleteMy favorite was the kids wanting to take more apples than they could possibly eat in a year. We usually don't realize that mistake until we are already home and wondering, "What on earth are we going to do with all of these apples?!?" DOH!
ReplyDeleteNo apple orchards here! It's fun to find giant cacti, though!
ReplyDeleteI saved this post in my feed, so I am sorry I am commenting late. But I loved it! And I was nodding my head yes, at each paragraph. We too are just like any family.
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