Staying busy and having lots of fun means that we spend quite a bit of time running from one activity to another.   My family and friends are much like us and with everyone going in different directions, it can be hard to carve out the time to spend together!

One way we like to catch up with family and friends is to attend the kid’s extracurricular activities together!  Between six nieces and nephews and close friends, we’ve been spectators of all kinds of events from soccer matches to band concerts to swim meets to dance recitals.  I usually ask for schedules as far in advance as possible so we can pick a date that works best with our busy schedule.  

At most events we have at least a solid hour to chat.  Huddled together in the bleachers we can squeeze in an endless number of topics…How’s your week going? How was work today?  Guess what happened the other day?!  Guess what I’m planning for vacation? etc..etc…  All this in between cheering very loudly for every goal scored or perfect dance number performed, of course!  

But the part I love the most is when the game ends and we have the chance to tell the kids how awesome they did and how much we enjoyed watching them.  The big hugs of appreciation that we get in return are priceless!  

Caitlin loves being with people and the excitement of a sporting event.  Being in the stands is a perfect place for her to do two things that she loves: meeting new people and striking up a conversation.  She’s gotten pretty good at greeting people starting with a cheerful Hello!  Most people are willing to chat with her, especially friends of our family.  She usually starts a conversation by asking the person what their name is and then in return she tells them her name.  Then she follows with a bunch of “W” questions that she’s practiced at speech therapy and school.  By asking Who, What, When and Where questions, she keeps the conversation going and finds out pretty interesting stuff about others too!  And of course, she loves joining in on the cheering, clapping and laughter of the event.

Recently we watched my nephew play basketball.  We were so impressed with how much he improved compared to the previous year. He played very good defense and was aggressive in trying to steal the ball away.  He made a couple of baskets and free throws!  And the icing on the cake was that they won the game!

We also went to see my niece perform at a cheerleading competition.  With 14+cheer squads in attendance, it was a little loud but so much fun.  This was my niece’s first year cheering and she did amazing!  I thought their routine was perfect!  Their squad came in 7th place which I thought was excellent given the tough competition.

I’m also very grateful when my family returns the favor and attends my kid’s events!  This past summer Caitin was scheduled to play in a baseball game on her birthday.  I invited family and friends to the game and they came out in a big way to support her!  After the game, we hosted a fun celebration with cupcakes, balloons and decorations.  The whole baseball team, coaches and spectators sang Happy Birthday to Caitlin.  It was a great time!

JoAnn O.

JoAnn’s journey as a parent and caregiver to an individual with disabilities started when her daughter was born pre-maturely with multiple health issues resulting in cognitive, physical and speech disabilities.  Over the years, JoAnn discovered that recreation, travel and social experiences can bring happiness and relief to a life that is often stressful and frustrating.  She loves to seek out adaptive, accessible and fun activities for her daughter and the whole family to enjoy.  She started the blog www.OurSpecialFunOasis.com to share her uplifting stories and positive ideas to help and to inspire others.