End of summer

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This is, by far, the easiest post I have ever written. Boo has struggled since her first year to overcome sensory issues. She doesn’t have a severe disorder that impacts our daily life. Jen Kehl can tell you more about that.

We are not alone in our navigating how to expose Boo to the sensory input she needs while balancing her innate fear. If you are a visitor in Our Land you will see a lot of other examples of having a child that is afraid of hair.

Boo doesn’t so much suffer from her sensory issues. It is more like she avoids them and it is easy to do so. For example, snow. We do not have a lot of it, well except when Nemo killed our February vacation. Grass? That was the best defense against Boo’s bolting. I really was kind of upset when she overcame that fear. 

Boo still has issues with a lot of sensory input. Be it noise, texture, smell or sand. Boo despises getting her hair brushed, as one example. She has a paralyzing reaction to sand. You can feel her heart racing, she whimpers low in her throat like a cornered animal. With a lot of therapy during and after school, Boo worked really hard to overcome her fear.

The difficult part of this is that Boo doesn’t realize she is afraid. She doesn’t have that comprehension. She only knows that she “no like”. But we live surrounded by the beach. This was one fear, unlike snow, that she had to overcome.

Selfishly the rest of the family really enjoys the beach. In truth, we kind of forced her to like it. The first few attempts were horrid. But we persevered. Every time we got to the beach she would whimper. We forced her out of the Jeep a couple of times over the summer. She would sit on my lap, but eventually (sometimes it took hours) she would stand on the sand. We kept it easy for her, always in her sneakers. Never forcing her to do more than she could.

And then, my friends, Boo danced. 

This is how I finish the sentence, My best summertime memory this year was Boo dancing on the beach.

 


(Gosh I hope the video works) 

Now tell me, what was your best summertime memory this year?

Finish the Sentence Friday

19 thoughts on “End of summer”

  1. Janine Huldie

    Seriously, Boo just put a smile a mile wide on face. Hands down the cutest and best video!! I loved her dancing and so glad she overcame her fear. Thank you for sharing and truly made my day!! Happy Friday now 🙂

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  7. beth

    What a wonderful summer! Many obstacles have been challenged and overcome. Congrats to Boo! Her video is priceless and will put s smile on many peoples face as they will see that their loved one may also one day be able to overcome their obstacles.

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  8. Kristi Campbell

    I remember seeing Boo dance (was it on Facebook?) and I love it even more now! She's such an adorable kid and you and your hubs totally deserve an award for keeping on with getting her to tolerate the sand. Your summertime memory is PERFECT. ❤

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  13. Dana Hemelt

    To be rewarded with such unrestrained joy after working so hard for this, Kerri – you must be over the moon. Seeing Boo dance is now one of my best summertime memories too. You know Isaiah is quite the dancer as well – a future tango together, maybe?

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