Yesterday was such an awesome day! We spent the first half of it at the beach with Matt's sister, her husband and their son. Then we headed to the Rehobeth Beach Boardwalk in Delaware to hit up Grottos Pizza and then FUNLAND! This great day, turned into one of the most memorable for us. Previously, when we took Kate to local fairs where they had kiddie rides, she refused to go on them. She covered her eyes...she cried because of the noise...she did not have fun. Once Matt did get her to go on a ride with her cousin, but she just screamed. My husband said he felt so bad....he wasn't sure if it was a kind of having fun, but I am scared scream or just I am scared, get me off this ride scream. So, when we arrived to Funland, we were not sure what Kate would do. Our son Grant and his cousin were ready to go and jumped on the boat ride immediately. We asked Kate, but she said "no." The boys went ride to ride having a ball. Little Sean, who is just over one, watched them without making a fuss. Despite our encouraging efforts, Kate refused to join her older brother and cousin....until....she saw the swings! All of a sudden, she was pointing and making gestures that she wanted to go on the swing. "Really? Do you want to go on the swings?" I asked with such surprise and excitement. Immediately she responded, "Yeah!" OK, on to the swings....since this ride went a bit fast and swung out to the sides, we were not sure how she would react once the ride got going. At first, she looked uncertain......then when the ride slowed down and it was time to get off, she refused! She kept saying and signing "More! More! More!" Matt and I were ecstatic! We had the biggest grins on our faces and we were high fiving each other.
Hmmm, could this be a break through? After about four rounds on the swings, we pried her off the ride and asked her if she would like to go on another one. She saw the pick up truck, smiled and excitedly said, "YEAH!" No way! We got in line and decided to let Sean join her. It was enclosed and it seemed safe for him....well, it was a HUGE hit! Matt's sister was beaming...so proud of Kate because she saw how unhappy Kate was in the past!
Not only was this a first for Kate, but it was Sean's first time too! He had a ball and was so excited to be included and to ride on a few other rides with his big sister! What a great, great day!
Now, she was hooked!
Oh, sweet Kate, we are SO proud of you!
This may not seem like a big deal to many who read this, but it was a HUGE moment for us and a very BIG turning point for Kate! With new circumstances, comes fear of the unknown and tremendous resistance. We always encourage her and try to nudge her out of her comfort zone. Sometimes, it takes a while, I mean what seems like a long while (months, maybe longer), to get her to try something and realize that she will enjoy it. Matt's sister made a very astute observation. She thought that maybe since Kate enjoys going on swings and is very familiar with them that perhaps it was not so scary and unknown to try the swing ride. And this year she got a little ride on pick up truck for her birthday (the first toy she really got excited about when she discovered it at her cousins house)...so maybe, that too was more familiar and easy to transition to trying. Well, whatever it was, it was a pivotal moment for all of us! Go Kate Go!
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