Feels like summer...

So it seems that summer has arrived with a wallop. We've gone from cool, cloudy weather to bright sunshine and 30 degree temps in about 2 days! Not that I'm complaining. Well...maybe just a teensy bit...I don't like it much hotter than around 25. My other complaint, while I'm at it...is people renovating their houses and making all kinds of banging, crashing, loud-machinery types of noises. Is peace and quiet too much to ask for?

The kids and I have been spending time enjoying the roof deck and splashing in the paddling pool. We're also going down to the beach...but with River's busy intervention schedule (he only has Tuesday afternoon off) it is hard to get a good block of time, without having to run back and forth to the house. Our next camping trip is coming up...yahooo...let's hope the weather hangs around for a while.

Lately River has become obsessed with water-fountains (well, any kind of running water). Last year he was obsessed with signposts. Everywhere we went he would run to a sign post and circle it, while looking at it from all different angles. He seemed to move-on from his signpost fixation, but has replaced it with a new obsession: water fountains. I cannot keep him away from them, which means I will have to be very creative about where we go on the beach. If he sees a water-fountain then it is very difficult to keep him away (flops down, bolts, starts screaming and generally being "hard to handle"). Poor Bronwyn gets stuck. I can't let her go down to the water on her own, while I'm trying to get River away from the water-fountains. We'll try a different beach this afternoon.

It can be quite lonely being the mother of a child with autism (perhaps any disability). River doesn't care about playing with other kids, he doesn't worry about "where's mum?", he will just bolt. He would rather spend time with a water-fountain than another child. It is difficult for him to be in a wide-open space without running and trying to find something he can centre himself around. He has no idea of safety and so he must always be watched closely. I know many people will say (and they do), that every child his age needs to be watched constantly. Of course there is truth in that...but it is not the same. River will run out of doors into parking lots without looking back. I cannot take him to the Mall or a grocery store (he is getting too big for the carts). He will run out of any open door or gate. It is amazing how many places I simply don't go to. And the additional concern is that he cannot really communicate to anyone about who he is, or answer questions (like "where's your mum", which he is asked fairly frequently - usually when I am on my way to bring him back). Anyway, not to moan too much. What it adds up to is that you don't get to talk to anyone at parks, beaches or any other place - you just chase after your son, while keeping an eye out for the safety of your daughter - and look like a "bad parent" who has no control over their child. At least that is how it feels sometimes. Having said all that he is a beautiful, happy boy and I love him just the way he is! It would just be nice to be able to have a chat and not have to chase him all the time. I will just have to come up with a plan for the water-fountain thing. I will try a different beach today and see how it works.