So Much

Whew! Yesterday was a big day. The boys even had to go to bed half an hour earlier than usual so they could recover...and so I could watch the first disc of season 2 of Weeds. (Next disc is coming today!)

The first day of kindergarten wasn't our only big event. We also had the first day of Aidan's hip-hop dance class. Owen had a last-minute fit of feeling left out, which broke my heart, but I know it's for the best. Synchronized choreography and Owen will probably never be friends. Solo freestyle breakdancing? Maybe. Anyway, I signed Owen up for his own piano class for 5-year-olds (somehow they teach a group of kids piano all at once), which he is excited about -- and which came in handy when the well-meaning mothers at dance class asked why he wasn't participating.

The other big event of the day was the teenager's birthday present: tickets to the Rage Against the Machine concert -- on his birthday, during the Republican National Convention, no less (could there be a better time to see RATM?). As expected, the concert ended in a vaguely political, rock-fueled riot. The closest the teenager came to the riot was being stuck in the traffic it caused, which I think is a good thing as I'm not ready for middle-of-the-night phone calls from the police station. 

The euphoria of seeing a really good rock show was still with him this morning. Let's hope his life has been changed in some small way for the better. 

So after all that, do I get to lounge around the house in sweatpants today? No. Today brings the first day of swimming lessons. I am dumb. I've turned into one of those mothers who over-schedules her kids...only it happened unintentionally. I want them to learn to swim for safety reasons, but Aidan really wanted to take hip-hop dancing, which left Owen in need of a counter balance activity. And here I am with lessons three days a week. Someday I will learn how to say no to learning experiences without feeling like I'm cheating my kids...but not today. 

Time to Swim

The boys started swimming lessons today. Anytime I put them in a new group learning situation, I have anxiety about Owen and how he will do. Aidan is like a used car salesman, practically shaking hands with the teachers, while Owen keeps to himself and has trouble staying focused when being addressed as a member of a group. Still, teachers/coaches tend to just think he's a little spacey, but generally cooperative. 

But you add the potentially life threatening factor of water and well, my anxiety spikes. I mean, it's one thing if he zones out on dry land, but another if he's in the pool and forgets he's supposed to hang on to the floaty while the instructor is helping another kid.

I am, of course, partially to blame for my anxiety because I continually put him in classes for typical kids and often don't mention his autism to the instructors. I'm always conflicted about it but my experience has shown me that when treated like any other kid, he acts like any other kid. Sure, he's spacey and can be a bit rigid, but he's mostly just a little quirky. He has had a couple meltdowns when he got frustrated in a class, but even those could easily have been within the "normal" range of preschool temper tantrums...there just never seems to be a need for me to swoop in and explain, "He has autism." I just hate the idea that anyone would treat him differently based on a label rather than getting to know him like anyone else. 

For swimming, however, it's different. I met his 20-year-old teacher before class and told her of his diagnosis. She gave me a look that said "I have no idea what that means and now I'm nervous about having him in my class," which is basically what I was afraid of, but I explained that it just means he's a little spacey and he might need extra reminders. She seemed okay with that. It's just my boys and a little girl in the class, so it should be pretty easy for her to keep an eye on him. 

My fears were put to rest when class started and I was reminded that autism or no autism, my two boys are equally uncoordinated, which makes them both pretty poor swimmers. As if to underscore this fact, the little girl in the class has apparently already mastered the breast stroke. I'm now hoping she'll get bumped up a level, leaving my boys to have private lessons for two weeks. Score.