Additional Needs
Why we need the Special Olympics
by Jodi Shenal
on 3rd May, 2024
Special Needs Families: Winter
How did the summer end so quickly this year?
The clocks changed back and in an instant, Winter seemed to wrap around my body like a leech.
Freezing my bones making me uncomfortable to even move!
The leaves falling from the trees covering my drive like a blanket, the red and yellow leaves that had been flourishing all summer, housing birds and squirrels, discarded overnight.
The branches now bare, no longer a place for wildlife to escape to, nibble on, or nest in. Waving naked in the wind.
Winter makes me sad, the children once again confined to the house for long periods, because due to some quite challenging symptoms of their disabilities we don't get to go out and about much, so the gardens are their sanctuaries.
My children get cold too.
Very cold.
Yet like me, they are averse to wrapping up, being confined to coats, hats, and scarfs is problematic for us.
We find it highly uncomfortable, the extra layers causing us to itch and fidget uncontrollably, until we discard them once more seeking comfort over warmth.
Hats and odd gloves get misplaced, shoved in places for safe keeping and forgotten about!
My children have sensory issues. They prefer more comfortable clothes than fashionable ones.
They live in PJ's and as they've gotten older they've learned that sometimes warmth is preferable to comfort.
We dig out those hats scarves and gloves, and put them on in the hope that this year maybe they'll wear them and keep them safe, maybe the feeling of discomfort will be averted this year.
Maybe they'll be warm and comfortable. I totally understand though, I feel the same.
And I sympathise completely.
But with winter drawing in, comes the beauty of the festive period, a time for friends and family to really value each other, enjoying the social occasions, and spirit of Christmas that is beautifully magic.
My children still believe in the magic of Christmas and I take full advantage of their innocence.
Creating the most magical time is important for me, and for them.
They believe.
This winter, I hope it snows.
I hope that the ingesting colours of the red and yellow blanket of leaves on the ground is replaced by a soft, thick, powdery blanket of snow.
There's something about seeing the snow falling, and the sky lighting up orange, that enthrals me, mesmerises me completely.
I'm 31 years old, and love nothing better than waking up and seeing snow covering the ground.
For my children though it is unbelievable.
They don't understand completely of how or why snow is formed, with their developmental delays it'll most probably be some years before they do, and so to see their faces when those white flakes fall into the garden, watching for hours out of the window, sipping on hot chocolates with marshmallows, completely makes my year!
Please let it snow this year!
