Halloween

On a night that brings most parents with special needs' kids a little uneasiness, I have to say, we had a wonderful night. Having a child who is minimally verbal, I was nervous that some people may think he is rude because he can't say "thank you" or feel left out when he can't recite the childhood theme song "trick or treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to eat." Having a child with low muscle tone and who is off balance as well as having a vision impairment, my heart feared that he would not be able to keep up with the other kids as they knock on doors for candy, or he would not be able to climb the steps to reach that Kit Kat bar, or he may tire easily and not be able to walk the block with his friends, or he may not see the raised sidewalk and trip and hurt himself. Halloween, for parents with children with special needs comes with an array of worries. Contrary to my fears, Jason did just fine. He was a typical kid. He made 99% of our adventure, one minor scrape on the knee, he signed "thank you" to every person who gave him candy, but the best part of today was "let's wait for Jason," Jason, do you want me to grab you candy," "I got candy for you", and "come on Jason, I'll help you." These words came from four beautifully kind kids and their amazing parents.