Was it funny to you? Really?

I am going to start this post off by saying that I think that every child deserves to have the opportunities to be a kiddo. Regardless of anything that they may have that society thinks restricts them. This includes things like playgrounds to field trips to special awesome places.

Now I am not a big time blogger and I know that my message will not reach the ears that matter, but I feel that I need to get my thoughts down on paper. I have always been a strong advocate to making sure that everyone has the opportunity to experience life to the fullest, from Adults to children. I write, as I know there are others out there that do read my material.  Anyhoo...

Last week, browsing through my newsfeed, I came across a video montage on America's Funniest Home Videos of women doing stupid stuff. In that montage, was a woman on an adaptive swing that was meant for special needs. I had commented, that it makes me angry to see something like that, as there have been times that we have gone to the park and those swings have been broken, due to idiots doing stupid stuff on them. Long story short, there were some comments that supported my outrage and then there were some that didn't. There were some that called me a "Snowflake"( which btw doesn't bother me as I am from Canada, and we all know that Snowflakes bring on Blizzards, which can be inconvenient and mess up even the best of life's plans). Now normally I wouldn't be blogging about silly internet spats, as we all know a lot of them are fruitless. If there was ever a time where someone's opinions of something changed because the energy spent from a keyboard warrior, please alert the news. Anyway I digress. There was mention that the woman in that video might possibly be special needs herself, which I took into consideration when replying back to the post I had made. Throughout my exchanges with multiple people, it was suggested that I seek counseling for being a special needs parent.( Thanks for the concern, but really I have a better handle on my mental state, than a rude stranger), but it was the people who got all butt hurt that I had indeed called them.... wait for it.... IGNORANT ....*Gasp* I know. Not the dreaded "I" word.

Yes.. Ignorant. It made me realize that just because they all thought it was funny that a woman had gotten into an adapted swing, made an ass out of herself, not realizing just how insensitive it would be to those who rely on swings like that one, to enjoy something, like actual swinging Or maybe it would be insensitive that they were perhaps laughing at a person with a disability falling out of a swing and hurting themselves . Either situation, its ignorant. Their comments were ignorant. It just makes me want to be work harder and use my voice louder to advocate for those who deserve respect and don't get it.

Now don't get me wrong I love watching stupid videos on the internet. I am mindful of those that involve the destruction of other people's property and serious injury aren't particularly funny. My stupid internet video watching normally involves the funny stuff our fur babies do and cat knocking stuff off shelves. And I like watching people do dumb stuff, lets face it, we are hilarious. As for the rest of that montage, it was other women doing dumb stuff, just that one segment struck a nerve. It could have been that we have gone to playgrounds meant for special needs and things have been broken due to people being dumb. As everyone who knows, it isn't easy to calm down a child, who is cognitively delayed and doesn't understand, why they can't do the one thing they love to do at the playground. Those swings were things that most of us parents had to fight for at City Council Meetings to get put into our parks. A park is for EVERYONE.

With all that being said, we did go to a park today that had one adapted swing. As I strolled around watching over my own special needs children, I heard parents tell their children that, that particular swing was not for them, but for those who needed a little bit of extra support in enjoying the art of swinging.

I get it. People do dumb stuff all the time and at times it can be funny. When it comes to actions that result in hurting someone or breaking something that isn't yours, you need to ask yourself, why would you be offended by someone calling you ignorant, when it clearly isn't funny to someone else.

So parents of special needs children or the caregivers to those who are special needs, never stop advocating, ever. As there are so many people out there that are out of touch with what it means to be compassionate, understanding and accepting of the differences that makes us human.

Please enjoy a picture of my son, in absolute joy doing something that every child should be able to do, swinging.

Snowflake Out.

The carnival of fond memories.

Most parents of children with special needs often find themselves in a pickle trying to find places that can accommodate our littles and our loved ones. Sure there are places like Morgan's Playground, but if you don't live even remotely close or can't afford to go to places like that, you are at a loss as to what you can do to ensure your child has the time of their lives and just be a kiddo, instead of a label or person that garners stares and unwelcomed comments. Even at the best of times, it is hard as a parent to try and figure out vacations and places we can take our special needs kiddos on or to. While places like Disneyworld/Land are trying to incorporate special needs persons, it still isn't perfect and not everyone can afford to go. Sure, I would love to take my son to go see his favorite characters from Disney, as I would love to capture that special moment when he gets to meet Mickey for the first time, but I know in my heart that he will not be able to handle the lines, even with a special pass, that we have to pay extra for and provide the documentation prove his disability, just for him to meet his idol. Most of parents wish we could give our special children that joy.So with that being said, a lot of us try and find the smaller amusements give joy to our children, who deserve it.

On the kick off to Autism Acceptance/Awareness month, this isn't going to be a blog post about the power of puzzle pieces or the sea of blue, but of a child that got so much joy out of something small. The other night we took our son to a local carnival. For most, it wouldn't be a big deal, but for him it was. It had every thing a small time carnival had to offer. Cheesy games, like win a fish and dart throws to the rides that make you sick that make you feel like your insides are on your outsides. For him it was everything he loved. Things that spin and light up, but best of all they had a swing ride. One that spun around and made a person feel like they could fly. Sure it squeaked and creaked and it needed a paint job, it didn't matter to him. He saw those swings and knew that, that was the ride he wanted to go on. So first ride off the bat, was the swings. I can't even express how much joy came to that boy's face. He flapped in excitement as I strapped him in to his chair. As I took my spot next to him, the verbal stims where just as noticeable, not that I cared. My boy was happy.  It wasn't until the ride started up, in that moment of movement, did he really get into his enjoyment. I was almost scared that he might of vibrated out of his chair. As I watched him from the seat next to him, I could tell that so many things were going through him. It wasn't just the lights or the fact that we were spinning around and around, but the experience for him was much more. For him, it was being able to be a kiddo. Getting so much joy out of this is what it meant for him to finally not be bothered by all the triggers, but to let loose. I think in his own mind he thought he was flying and he truly was.

From the swings we went on many other rides and we played some carnival games (which he ended up winning a green ball), but nothing compared to the swing ride. Sure, as the sun went down the lights of all the rides, lit up the night, which to our son was fun to watch. The cowards getting bigger, we decided to call it a night, but not without one more time on the swing ride. We got into our spots, I buckled my son in and away we went. This time I decided to take a couple of pictures of him, as I wanted a kodak moment of his joy. Sure enough, he gave me one the best photos I have of him. I wanted to remember and cherish this moment, because when we are hip deep in the chaos or going through a rough time, I will always have a photo of him in the throws of absolute joy. That photo will be my reminder that he is just a little boy who deserves happiness and joy just as much as the next kiddo.