Battle of the Cardboard Swords

After wrapping presents, the cardboard "swords" always tempt the boys to play.  As they have gotten older, nothing has changed.

Two cardboard rolls awaited them.

Cameron and Nick picked them up and dueled in the unspoken challenge.

They took turns charging, hitting, and retreating.  Then Nick took a swing.  Cam lost most of his sword.  In utter disbelief, Cam tried to piece it back together.  Nick smiled victoriously.  Cam acknowledged his defeat.

Sometimes the silliest thing are the best!

Time Out For Fun

Nick, Victorious Knight, Cam, and Ryan

Amidst the turmoil of autism, we need fun.  Yes, we need to keep a balance of sensory, safety, and dietary issues.  Consequently, we do a lot of research for any outing.  We found one that would stretch the boys.  Medieval Times!

Think of eating with no utensils.  Ok, maybe not too hard to endure for boys.

Picture a stadium setting with theatrical lighting and roaring crowds.  Now hear the clashing of metal upon metal during the jousting, and breathing of dirt, hay, and whatever remnants of the horses.  For typical kids, this could be a highlight event.  For teens with autism, it could be a sensory nightmare.

We knew the boys loved the movies of the Lord of the Rings.   They thoroughly enjoyed the sword-fighting and chivalry.  They admired the steadfast Aragorn, especially when the odds were against him.  Legolas and Gimli added further dimension of weaponry and defense.  So we drew similarities from the movies to what this Medieval Times would include.

We prepared them for the close contact of the arena seating.  We warned them of the unpredictable lights and sounds.  We gave them possible solutions as to how to deal with these.  They were gamed to go, and they looked forward to eating with their fingers!  (Years ago they couldn't stand dirt or shaving cream on their fingers, so this would have been a concern back then.)

We arrived at the facililty, and the boys took it all in.  At times they had to sit and relax, but for the most part, they enjoyed all the sites and sounds of the retail area.  They even wore crowns/hats!  Then we were escorted into the actual arena.  Food and drink came and went.  The knights on horseback traversed right in front of us as we had front row seating.  Theatre lights blinded us occasionally.  Loud narratives welcomed us and introduced the games as they unfolded.

Throughout the entire evening, the boys were intent on what played out in front of them.  They cheered and waved our banner when our knight did well. They weren't too keen when the horse snorted just a few feet from them.  They experienced the show without problems.  No complaint.  The boys were extremely loud when our knight won the jousting contest. 

Mike and I were relieved when they all concurred that we should return.  And soon!

How To Balance Fun and Work...

...especially with boys at home for Christmas vacation.

I found that the boys just wanted to play all day. Nothing wrong with that except I got to do all the clean up. That lasted a day. I was not a slave, and they could not afford me as a maid!

I called the four boys into the kitchen for a chat. (They called it a lecture.) I asked how would they feel if one of them didn't get a chance to play. They agreed that would not be good. I asked how they would feel if one of them had to cook, dust, etc. all day. They agreed that would be not be fair.

I then pointed out that was exactly the situation, just the one not playing was MOM. I made sure that they had "down" time. They needed to reciprocate; Mom needed down time too. They needed to decide how that was going to happen.

Through an amazing conversation, an idea evolved. One suggested that I just get up and go, meaning leave to relax. Tempting. Another recommended I join in their fun. Intriguing. A third suggestion was to check with Mom to see if she needed help before they had fun. Thoughtful.

The result of the discussion is that they decided to establish a new rule: Mom must be having fun before they can have fun. I could not argue with that.

Over the course of the next few days, I was bombarded with, "MOM, ARE YOU HAVING FUN?" They yelled it from the stairs. They knocked on my bedroom door. They sought me out like never before.

They were willing to help me do chores, everything from laundry to cooking the next meal. The workload was shared. It was an awesome turnaround.

We now all have fun doing the work and playing. Tonight is Christmas Eve, and everything that needed to be prepared is done. Everyone helped, and we really had fun doing it together.

There has never been a better Christmas gift, except for the Christmas Babe Himself.