I never imagined going to the circus would be such an emotional experience! We attended on Sunday with my in-laws, parents, Uncle BJ, Aunt Jules and our boys, Gavin and Samuel. The show was amazing, so many talented people, great animals, silly clowns, and so much to watch.
But the best part was seeing the sheer delight and happiness on Gavin's face as he watched the show. He truly "got" all that was going on, asked "what now, what next" at the end of different skits, and incorporated all the sensory input like he's never had auditory sensitivity, difficulty processing things, and been "overly" interested or focused on visual input/screens. He LOVED the slapstick humor of the clowns, laughed out loud and looked to us to enjoy the jokes together. This all occurred in a huge arena, first time ever being there, with tons of people, noise, and unfamiliar things all around. This may be "typical" to any other five year old, but for a child with autism and particular sensitivities, this COULD be way too overwhelming. NOT THIS TIME!!
We celebrate this trip to a typical childhood activity with such gratitude and hope. I have to admit I was shaking with tears as I held Gavin up to see the scantily clad woman ride around on an elephant with a huge American flag as the Star Spangled Banner played...Gavin watched intently, with a huge smile, and waved out to the performers like they were all there for him alone. It made my week!!!
Thank you Papa (Dave's dad) for your vision of taking the entire family to the circus. It will be an event remembered and held special to me for a very long time!!
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Awesome!!! So glad you enjoyed the experience. I think in a way we are lucky. We appreciate and enjoy these 'typical' childhood moments all the more with our special little guys, don't we??
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