We spent most of the evening with Uncle Darren. (My 7 yo little brother, who has really matured in his relationship w/Jackson). We played at grandpa's house, did the paper route with Uncle Zachary; Jackson found it particularly amusing to watch him lean out the window to put papers into paper boxes. [Uncle Zack even 'fell' out of the van on the last paper for effect ;) which left all three little boys giddy with laughter]. Next we headed to Chik-Fil-A for dinner and playtime and then off to the Fantasy of Lights. This is a favored spot every holiday season. Jack really enjoys the displays; it's predictable enough for him... Tonight he spotted the carriage ride a few cars ahead of us and determined he was going to have a carriage ride...
Of course, the Fantasy of Lights carriage was booked for the night, so I took him downtown to the huge Santa light display on the side of the bank building and tried to hail a carriage there. Jack and Darren were impressed with the 'Santa' that drove up in his unique vehicle adorned with lights. Cal asked if he could hide behind me...After visiting this eccentric santa we drove a few blocks to hook up with a carriage driver. [By the way, these carriage rides are like highway robbery: $30 for a half an hour ride? That's a dollar a minute! Come on! I digress,] We're lucky to find a carriage empty and free and set about our journey through downtown to view the lights. All three boys were very excited and really enjoyed the ride. Cal kept saying, "This is the first time I ever rode in a carriage" to which Darren replied, "Me too!" and Jackson just sat back and had fun.
For the first ten minutes that is...
He spent the last 20 minutes trying to understand why this carriage wasn't going to take him back to the fantasy of lights and anxious about the ride being over.
Can I just say, I hate it when autism robs my son of childhood joys...the other two were so taken with the ride, so happy and content. Jackson spent most of his ride anxious, unable to relax and take it for what it was...These are the moments I truly hate it the most. It's so incredibly heartbreaking to have such a fun evening turned sour by his misunderstanding...
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