This past December, my husband’s side of the family decided to have our Christmas gathering at the bowling alley. I was hesitant not because my kids don’t like bowling (they really like it), but because I don’t particularly like it. However, I really wanted to see my nieces and nephew and hang with my brothers- and sisters-in law.
About half-way through our gathering, I decided to get the shoes and join in the bowling fun. I did this in celebration, as a response to my middle son’s statement…
“I’m just a boy who loves bowling!”
Learning how to speak, as I wrote in a previous post, was a major feat for him. And now he’s expressing himself at a busy bowling alley, to family he only occasionally sees, and is having the time of his life. If he can overcome his sensory issues to enjoy a game of bowling, then I can overcome my dislike of the game and have fun playing with my family!
We tell our kids that sometimes we have to do the things we don’t like. Or we tell them to try things which may be scary. But sometimes we may just like that thing which we thought we wouldn’t. My kids are now teaching me, and that gives me hope!
Autism From the Lighter Side 
Posted by JoLynn on January 4, 2011 at 5:31 pm
How true! As adults we sometimes use our power to choose to opt out of things that are just difficult, not impossible. We must remember we are always modeling.
GOOD FOR YOU for bowling! I LOVE to bowl, yet I haven’t bowled in years.
Your son’s speech accomplishment is awesome. As a person who talks, well, a LOT, having a son with a speech delay was so odd for me… and yet I think we are blessed to be able to celebrate seemingly insignificant milestones (to others perhaps) that would have been missed otherwise.
Posted by ehgivler on January 5, 2011 at 2:03 pm
Good way of saying that… “Using our power to choose to opt out of things that are just difficult, not impossible.”
Yes, we are blessed to be able to celebrate things which might otherwise be taken for granted. That gives me hope!