We spontaneously ended up at a Metro Park this morning. We had breakfast at the lake while we watched the molting geese. Within minutes Sahara sat in water and was walking about in her underwear. Honestly, I was relieved that I convinced her to leave them on, but Emily was embarrassed… "It is okay," I reassured her, "I have another pair of dry shorts in the jeep. Let’s walk back to the jeep, change her, then we can go on a hike."Crisis resolved.
Soon we found ourselves on a 1.7 mile nature trail. We were enveloped by nature and I have to admit it felt liberating! Emily was eager to declare that she thought she saw a deer everywhere she looked. I am not so sure she saw even one the whole way, but she will adamantly deny that. Sahara wanted to pick up every stick and smack every leaf with it. Emily tried to rush her sister, "Come on! Look it’s beautiful!" I am certain she didn't mean anything in particular, but it successfully motivated Sahara ahead another 20 feet before another stick caught her attention.
As she bent over to pick it up, she suddenly plopped down on the dirt path to pull at her sneakers, "Sahara, our shoes need to stay on if we are going for a walk." She huffed and puffed, stood up, and took another few steps before she sat down and tried to get them off again. "Sahara, our shoes and socks need to stay on if we are going for a walk."
Emily thought she heard a baby deer and went running to the observation deck. Sahara and I followed, but by the time we got there Emily was ready to head back up the nature trail. Sahara stopped, sat on the bench, and had her socks and shoes off before I could intervene this time. I convinced her to put the socks back on inside out. I was hoping the seams being off of her toes would put her at ease.
Another mile to go….
I had to place my hand on Sahara’s back to keep her moving, but it was maybe another several yards before the socks and shoes were off again. I persuaded her to put back on her shoes; the socks ended up in my backpack. This lasted for a bit, then the shoes were off again and she was on my shoulders for the last 1/2 mile.
After an hour and a half we found our way back to the jeep and made it home safely. As I reflect, I am grateful that we could connect with nature without incident. But, I also am acutely aware that the whole sock and shoe issues disrupted the flow of the hike. Having a child who experiences sensory issues brings all sorts of challenges.
Certainly, fuzzy socks and rough seams go unnoticed by many. But, for a child with sensory issues, it is like sandpaper on your toes or your unmentionables. (Can you imagine?) Most days, regardless of the time of year, my daughter is barefoot and naked in order to be comfortable. We have, however, recently discovered that she will wear a dress without underwear and that seems to have adverted the whole unmentionables issue (for now).
I have, also, recently connected with a company, SmartKnitKIDS, on twitter that make seamless socks. I have to admit I haven’t tried them yet, but plan to place an order after we move. (I don’t want something that precious to get lost in the mail.) SmartKnitKIDS also just let me know that are working on a prototype for underwear. I have to admit that I have never been so excited about ordering underwear and socks!
If any of my readers have tried SmartKnitKIDS products please let me know your experience. I look forward to ordering both products in the near future and will be certain to write a product review. In the meantime, I am excited about the potential that Sahara may be able to wear these necessary clothing items with freedom from the inevitable seams that interfere with her daily activities!!
(PSST…they are offering a Back To School Contest you might be interested in. )
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment