sum sum summertime

Well, I'm up so ding-dong early that I thought I might as well write a post.

I've been freaking out, off-and-on, for months about what to do with Henry this summer. He could technically go to Easter Seals' summer camp for one more summer (the program is for kids up to 8 years old). But they have moved to a much-less-convenient location, the new location doesn't have a pool (a major factor in Henry's enjoyment of previous seasons), and I was unsure how much good that program was doing for him. I don't care about working on goals or anything like that in the summer, but I do want Henry to be stimulated and entertained and have fun. And as the oldest kid in that setting, I wasn't sure that he would. And I feared that his undesirable behaviors might gain some ground.

In searching for other summer options, I found that many programs were only offered a few hours a day (I'd call that "morning camp" rather than "day camp", wouldn't you?), and others were more than double the cost of what we had been paying at Easter Seals. Gulp. Not to get all up on my soapbox (ok, maybe just for a second), but what the hell are working parents of disabled kids supposed to do?

Tuesday I visited a potential (expensive) option. More about that next time. Tuesday night I had a little nervous breakdown (summer plans being just one piece of that). Wednesday I called Easter Seals and asked them to send me the registration packet. Last night (Thursday), when I picked Tommy up, L asked if I would like to have Henry come there for the summer. Um, duh? That would only be the perfect option.

Needless to say, I had been hinting around about this for months. L often watches Henry on random days off from school and holiday breaks. But the main concern she had expressed about the summer was their frequent trips to the pool. The smaller kids kind of split their time between the baby pool and the big pool. Sometimes L packs their lunches and even gets them to take naps there, under a tree!!!! (This woman casts some kind of spell over these children.)

Henry wouldn't want to stay that long, and he's way too big for the baby pool. His swimming skills are decent, but not good enough to hang out in the big pool by himself. And his social skills at the pool, um, leave something to be desired. His main ideas of fun interaction at the pool are:

A. Splashing you in the face over and over

B. Chasing you around and trying to dunk you

While other kids might enjoy those activities for a time, Henry needs help knowing when to END the playing. He might not pick up on cues like "Henry, I don't want you to splash me anymore." Ya know?

So, anyway, L's 14-year-old daughter (K), an excellent babysitter herself, had another option fall through, and is willing to be responsible for Henry at least a portion of the week, with L covering the rest! K can help at the pool, the park, the library, etc. AWESOME. I think it will be a relaxed summer for Henry, which he deserves. And Tommy is always excited about having his brother with him.

(And, I can drop both kids off at one spot and maybe get to work on time. Whatever.)

So, let's take a moment to appreciate that things do work out sometimes.