Parenting “rookie” mistakes; and the surprise Successes that followed.

It was your typical Sunday.  Eric had “a plan.”  Daddy was going to take him to the local zoo to visit his favorite seals (they are really sea lions – but don’t correct him, or he’ll yell at you LOL).  Daddy has some experience under his belt and logged onto their website and immediately a message popped up to say that the sea lion (oops I mean “seals”) exhibit was closed.  It was a near disaster averted!  Score for Daddy!   So, I started to search for another place local that had seals and came across the Central Park Zoo.  It was a beautiful Fall day and I was feeling adventurous – so figured I’d give it a whirl.  We ended up have a pretty adventurous day… but it definitely had its up’s and down’s.   Here are a few of the mistakes and successes that I experienced:

1 Mistake: When you decide to drive into NYC, make sure you don’t follow your GPS, since it will take you right through Times Square.  As an extra bonus all the side streets around that area were closed for Sunday markets.
1 Success: Eric got to sight see, and window shop in Disney and Toys R Us as we drove by…very slowly….

2 Mistake: When you realize you pulled into the wrong parking garage, and have to walk about 8 extra blocks.
2 Success: It was priceless to see Eric bee-bopping through the city streets like a little explorer.

3 Mistake: When you ask your son if he wants to see the Walrus exhibit; only to find out it was the Monkey exhibit.
3 Success:  He loved the monkeys; and he even went back to see them two other times; and started reading the exhibit description sign all on his own.

4 Mistake: When you ask if he has to go to the bathroom and he starts yelling “NO POOP!” at the top of his lungs.
4 Success: Yeah, well…. you know what happened. 😉

5 Mistake: When you get tired of sitting and watching the seals and decide to try and coerce him into seeing the penguin exhibit; and he proceeds to scream his head off and goes into a complete meltdown the second you walk inside.
5 Success:  …..it was hard to find one in that moment.  I took him out of the exhibit, sat on a bench with him and let him cry while I tried to calmly wait until he got through it.  I pulled out a timer and put a few minutes on the clock and told him he had to finish crying before timer buzzed….. And he did!

…..and during that hour it was so hard to decide:

Should I stay? Or should I go?  I had the entire zoo staring at us;   why was this big boy (11 yrs old) crying? And screaming? I avoided eye contact with anyone except my son.  It would have been easier for me to pack it in and head home; and I had visions of me dragging him through the park exit screaming, and down 8 city blocks howling, and then waiting at the parking garage for our car.  I saw myself getting in the car and sobbing all the way home about how awful and hard it was…..   but then I decided I wasn’t letting an autism meltdown ruin our afternoon.  I didn’t want to go home.  I didn’t think Eric wanted to go home.  I just had to help him get through it.  And he did.   He pulled out of his tail spin and we ended up having a great afternoon, with even more successes!

6 Success: He asked to go see the Penguins; and he was so happy and calm watching them.
7 Success:  He agreed to see a short 4D movie; and loved it!
8 Success:  He asked to go back into the zoo after the movie; he was having fun and didn’t want to go home yet!
9 Success:  I ignored the GPS on the way home and got out of NYC without hitting a stitch of traffic.
10 Success:  When faced with the Choice:  “Stay” or “Go?”  — I picked the right answer!
It’s my mission to push Eric out of his comfort zone and out exploring more of the world around us – instead of always visiting the same places and reinforcing some of his rigid routines and habits.  It isn’t always going to be easy, but I know it’s my job to help my son work through some of these harder moments so he can experience some of the happier times that always follow! 
——————————–mrs. bacon