Last Day of Summer

I can't believe summer is over! This has been such a wonderful summer. I had no idea what would happen when I told Larry I wanted to do a new, fun adventure everyday on the break. I learned so much about my boys and they learned a lot, too!

I got the idea for this when a page I follow on Facebook wrote a blog post about kids trying new things and the importance of doing new things. I asked a question: "What do you do when your child doesn't want to do new things?" I didn't get a response, and it really bothered me. I'm all about doing new things. I just keep thinking, We get one chance. One life. I mean, really, just once, to do this thing and I don't want my life to be just like everyone else's just because that's the way people do things. I want my life to be the life God wants. I want my life to be one where we are about to go into heaven, and we can think, well, I didn't go the path most traveled, but I lived a full life and I tried new things. But my son doesn't feel that way. He doesn't like new places. He doesn't like things he doesn't understand. He doesn't like not feeling in control of a situation and when you put him someplace new, he feels very out of control and full of questions of What's going to happen? and you can see the anxieties creep in and they come out in the form of tantrums.

So as I thought about it I figured the best way to help him was to just do it. Together. To try new things. Little things. Build up to big things. Make things fun. (But don't overreact because if you're too excited, he doesn't trust you.) Let him guide the process. Go at his pace. (Because I do tend to get very excited about new places and new things. So I had to learn to step back and let him take it all in on his terms.)

So we did new things. We walked trails, we learned (are learning) how to ride a bike, we saw pigs and chickens on a farm, we went to the beach, we saw rockets up close, we are learning how to swim, we tried a new storytime, we planted a garden, we went to Six Flags, etc. We tried 67 new things (and more since somedays had more than one adventure). I think the Six Flags trip was the one where we could sit back and say, Wow. It worked.

Because my kid rode the roller coasters.

My son, who still isn't sure of those characters that dress up and let you take their picture with them. My son who says, "Noooo" in a small voice when you ask him if he wants to try something new. That kid is a roller coaster fanatic. He rode everything he could. Including the Mind Bender. And when he was done, he said "That one was bad." But he wants to go back and ride more roller coasters. When we say, "We're going on an adventure" he says, "We are?! Alright! Awesome!"

Helping with Isaac's anxieties wasn't the only reason we did the adventures this summer, but it's one of them. Appreciating our family time and taking advantage of this age was another. I love my family so much. I recognize the sacrifices my dad went through to raise me. He loved me and I'm trying to show my kids that same love. But there's also the question that pops up in my head every now and then. How could my mom miss out on this? I was 3 when she left. So this past year, of Isaac being 3, that was impactful to me for so many reasons. I choose to be here for them. I choose to love them on a daily basis. I've seen so many friends go through loss lately. They've lost their children. They've lost grandchildren. They've waited as a child was in the NICU. They waited and prayed for a child to grow in their womb. And I recognize that I have three children and I don't always understand why. Because they are great boys. They are given to me by God and they are so wonderful.

We do the best we can. We pray. We learn. We grow together. We loved watching Isaac and Jared both on our adventures. Jared would take things slow and steady. Stopping to look at a leaf. Walking backwards so he could keep looking at a dog that had passed by. Isaac would run ahead, looking for the next best part. Grayson would stay close to my chest, sometimes sleeping, sometimes snuggling, sometimes playing and pulling my glasses off.

So today is a sad day for me. It's the end of a great summer. But it's also a day to Praise God. Because He gave us this time. He gave us our family. And He'll be with us as we continue on our adventures, whatever they may be.