Putting Out Fires On The O Happy Day

Ryan and Nick after the match

Yesterday Ryan and Nick played in their first tennis match ever.  It was a great milestone for the boys.  Nonetheless, yesterday had its pitfalls.  No matter how well I plan, there is always a surprise!  So what was yesterday's moment?

I wasn't sure that the boys were playing, but if they were, I planned to pick the boys up at 2:30 pm. Due to their diet, they need to eat frequently.  Time was at a premium.  I had 30 minutes to get them home, fed, dressed, and back to school for the match.

The boys showed up at 2:30 pm with the wonderful news that they were, indeed, playing.  YEA.  I asked what they were to wear because they had not received a uniform yet.  They responded, "Red shirt and black shorts," with their school name on them.  I asked if they had the clothes.  They responded negatively.

I knew t-shirts had been ordered, but they had not arrived.  I couldn't imagine the coach didn't discuss what to wear, if the boys were to play.  Ryan said that he received a text from a fellow tennis player.  I recognized the description as a pe uniform, but again, I assumed there was a particular uniform to be had. 

Then I asked, "Can you play without the uniform?"  They replied, "Well, I guess we can't," with total resignation.

I didn't understand.  They were happy to play, but giving up so easily.  ??

By this time I was out of the school parking lot.  I managed to turn back into the parking lot, parked, and we ran. I told Ryan we needed to find the coach.  We ran to the coach's room, only to find it empty.

Trying to think fast and failing to stay calm, I asked where the spirit store was. I knew we could get a pe uniform there.  Maybe there was "the uniform" we were searching for. We eventually found the spirit store, and I explained the situation to the clerk.  She made a few phone calls.  She told us that the team had left on the bus.  After a few minutes, she clarified that was the girls' team.  Another moment of slight panic and relief.

I asked if we could just get the basic black shorts and red shirt.  She gave me a few sizes.  And we guessed what would fit each boy.  Within a few minutes, we were out the door, running back to the car.

I gave specific instructions to the boys as we now had ten minutes to dress, eat, and get home and back to school.  We successfully did it, but for those 30 minutes, I was presented with a problem and had to solve it on the fly.

The boys and I did solve it.  On the court, no one had a clue what our last 30 minutes had been like.  From the high of the news the boys were playing to let down of not playing. Then back up to finding the uniform and getting everything the boys needed.

The boys were dressed like everyone else. They were part of the team. I'm still not sure if they missed something the coach said or not, but at this point it doesn't matter.

Another day in the life of autism!