Time With Friends

Today I felt very blessed on a few accounts.  First, it was a beautiful sunny day here on the central coast in San Luis Obispo.  Second I spent the afternoon with a close friend and her two boys close in age with my 3yr old Tristan on a hike.  Third I actually had enough energy after that to take a bike ride with Tristan to the local park (Oh how I love summer daylight savings time).  It was a beautiful sunset at 8:30 pm! Yes, I said 8:30 PM how cool is that!

Side Note:  https://childmind.org/ Why Kids Need to Spend Time in Nature. 2018. Danielle Cohen. In the early 1980s, a Harvard University biologist named Edward O. Wilson proposed a theory called biophilia: that humans are instinctively drawn towards their natural surroundings. Many 21st century parents, however, would question this theory, as they watch their kids express a clear preference for sitting on a couch in front of a screen over playing outside. The national panic about kids spending too much time indoors has become so extreme that the crisis has a name: Nature deficit disorder. Why go outside? Recent studies have exposed the benefit—even necessity—of spending time outdoors, both for kids and adults. Some argue that it can be any outdoor environment. Some claim it has to be a “green” environment—one with trees and leaves. Others still have shown that just a picture of greenery can benefit mental health. These nuances aside, most of the studies agree that kids who play outside are smarter, happier, more attentive, and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors. While it’s unclear how exactly the cognitive functioning and mood improvements occur, there are a few things we do know about why nature is good for kids’ minds.
•It builds confidence.
•It promotes creativity and imagination.
•It teaches responsibility.
•It provides different stimulation.
•It gets kids moving
•It makes them think
•It reduces stress and fatigue

Doing these blogs takes me to the coolest articles!!

   I love spending time with my friend and her boys!  It’s not only good for my emotional/mental health but it feels so good getting Tristan around kids his age!  I honestly see a difference after we have spent time with them, he talks more, seems more sociable around others that day as well.  And back to me, oh I need my time with my gal pal!! With life’s ups and downs, for both of us, it’s essential to vent and just discuss our lives trials and tribulations!  

Side Note:

Social interaction for children Your child might find social situations difficult. Other children appear to know, intuitively, how to communicate and interact with each other, and many parents of autistic children struggle to explain why their children struggle with social interaction when they can have extraordinary skills in other areas. Here we offer ideas on helping your child with understanding emotions, conversation, play, and dealing with conflict. We also give you some top tips, look at how you can help to reduce social stressors, and where you can find out more. Autism and social interaction. The characteristics of autism vary from one person to another, but in order for a diagnosis to be made, a person will usually be assessed as having, along with other issues, persistent and significant difficulties with social interaction and social communication. It’s as if everybody is playing some complicated game and I am the only one who hasn’t been told the rules. Martian in the playground, C Sainsbury, p8.
Autistic children may:
appear withdrawn
appear indifferent to other people
prefer to play alone
accept contact if initiated by others
be difficult to comfort
approach other children but in an unusual way
use overly formal language and be ‘rule-bound.’
Trying to understand what others mean and how to behave can be bewildering, exhausting and stressful for autistic children. You can help to remove the stressors by; carrying, or giving your child, an autism alert card using our communication tips asking your child’s schools to teach autism awareness and acceptance suggesting things your child’s school can do to support your child during unstructured times, as these can be harder for autistic children to cope with.looking for social groups and leisure activities in your local community that are more autism-friendly.

    Ya know, there are days when I feel my son Tristan definitely is on the light spectrum of autism and then there are days like today when there was so much good interaction with other kids!  Even unknown kids! Good eye contact all day and even interaction with unknown adults! I feel so indifferent though at least I’m no longer scared! No matter what the outcome is God has laid my worries to rest!  Tristan will be an amazing well adjusted human being!

Thanks For Reading