Summer came and summer is once again gone as fast as it arrived. It is but a distant memory. As a Mom, I have a love/hate relationship with summer. First, I am a cold weather girl. I live for chunky sweaters, anything pumpkin related and the ease it brings when you have a child who wears KAFO leg braces.
Summer creates a lot of anxiety for me when it comes to the heat and the havoc it reaps on our family. I become a freak watching the weather and the high temperatures that often complicates many days for us.
Summer brings BBQ's, baseball games, swimming, each days, outings and so much more. All of which causes a lot of stress for me. Many people don't know that I struggle with wearing a happy face. I never want my kids to not attend a party or an event, but sometines it is what happens. Not everyone we are friends with or are family have homes that are handicap accessible. Heck our home isn't even accessible, but Jarrett has learned how to maneuver in his environment and does so very, very well.
In his short 6 years he has accomplished more than we could have dreamed and that is due to the love, support and prayers of our friends, family and community.
This summer was challenging with the many warm days and so we invested in a small 3 foot deep pool. Now getting jarrett in and out is quite a challenge. But once he is in he swims like fish. Yes, this boy refused swimmies and taught himself to swim. He also mastered swimming with swimming in his grandparents pool down in Delaware. He used to be so afraid and wore a tube and swimmies and clung to me, but now Mr. Daredevil has mastered the water. He has even been brave enough to finally go into the ocean at the beach.
The beach is one place most would think accessibility would be an issue, but thankfully it has not been. Belmar has been such a gift to me. From the beach wheelchairs to the access ramps that lead pretty close to the ocean, they have really made is possible for people of all abilities to enjoy a beach day.
This summer we also discovered the Dorbrook Recreation Sprayground in Colts Neck, NJ. Jarrett used his wheelchair and had a ball. He could do everything all the other kids could, but with a little wheelie flare. We went back the second time to check out the playground. All I can say is WOW. This playground was fully inclusive with rubberized flat surfaces to ramps that led to every area of the climbers.
Summer has finally become a favorite time for us finally due to the many places we can go as a family. Watching your kids play no matter what their capabilities and abilities are is such a joy. We are certainly looking forward to next summer.
