We had gone to a park, one we hadn't been to in a while and I didn't remember much of the set-up. When we got there, I realized there was nothing Caedmon could do, except swing. Thankfully, he loves to swing. The only way to get to the slides was up two awkward ladder-like things or through a long tunnel.
I had never paid any attention to accessability before having Caedmon. Never considered how difficult it would be for some children to get around.
On this day, swinging was not enough. He wanted to slide. He wanted to go in the tunnel. He wanted really bad to scoop (those excavator things). The scoop with handles that happened to be at a height for a standing child and didn't work well while sitting in a stroller.
For the first time since his birth, I had to tell him no. No, you can't slide. No, you can't go in the tunnel. No, you can't play in the sand.
That's when it hit me.
I had determined since pregnancy that I would say 'yes' to anything Caedmon wanted to do. We would figure out together how to do it, if need be, but he would never hear the words, 'No, you can't' come out of my mouth. And here I was, breaking my own vow.
It was so hard!
I tried to make a positive spin on it by saying, 'When your cast comes off you can do that!' But it sounded so lame. I just keep hoping that he will have little to no remembrance of this time and he will not be set back when the cast does come off. He doesn't seem phased a bit by any of this. I'm so grateful for his positive attitude toward everything. So many times he ends up cheering me and encouraging me.
What an amazing and wise, laughing warrior we have.
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