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My Kind of Normal

Have you ever compared what your life is like on a daily basis with your child to someone else’s life and wished your life was just a little bit more like theirs?  I used to do this all the time and truth be told I still do this occasionally when my life with my child with special needs is chaotic.  With social media always showing us all the happy, smart people out their leading exciting lives it is hard to not compare even though we know that is not reality.  It is just a snapshot of a bigger picture.

Dreams of a Norman Rockwell Holiday

The worst time for me to do this is during the holiday.  I love the holiday season for many reasons.  I love the feeling of happiness, giving, generosity, love and acceptance during this season.  In the past, I used to not like it for many reasons as well.  I would watch all the children excitedly tell their parents what they wanted from Santa, join in with all the holiday games and parties, look forward to decorating cookies and see their faces light up when they unwrap their gifts and so on and so forth.  I so wished and prayed I would have these very same experiences with my child.  But my reality with my child is very different. 

Adjusting, accepting & embracing a new kind of Normal

My life looks a little different during the holiday season just like a lot of our mommies of special needs children.  My son could care less about presents.  As a matter of fact, he screams and lashes out when I give him a present to open.  I think he thinks it is therapy (occupational therapy to be exact).  I take him to St. Augustine every year to soak up the holiday spirit with all the holiday lights and people singing.  I try to get his photo under the big Christmas tree.  I want to have those fun photos to show people my son during the holiday season.  This year he screamed from the time we were parking the car to the time we left 30 minutes later. I decided to settle on driving through the neighborhoods with light displays to try to “catch” the holiday spirit.  After several failed attempts to help him experience the holiday spirit, I had a light bulb moment.  This is not what brings him holiday joy and spirit.  The extra noises, lights and excess people during these events is a sensory overload for him. He likes places and things that he is used to within his routine. This is how I am used to celebrating the holiday and I wanted to pass this on to him.  Traditions are very important to me and I wanted to have these traditions with Brandon.   It is time for a change.

Starting a New Tradition

I realized it is time for me to start new traditions and have a “New Kind of Normal”.   I started writing down all the things Brandon likes to do during the holiday.  He loves to eat, he loves to jump, he loves to ride in the car, he likes hanging out at the gym because he is used to going there, he loves music and he loves his Chewelry.  So, this year instead of giving him toys he will never play with I got a big basket and filled it with his favorite snacks and a year supply of chewelry’s. I filled his stocking with sensory toys and fidgets. 

On Christmas morning, I waited for him to find his fun stash on his own time.  No prearranged time to open gifts, no coercing him to sit on the floor and get his presents out from under the tree, no flash of the camera going off.  I had to learn to give him space to experience the holidays on his terms, not mine and when he was comfortable. When he finally saw his fun stash his eyes lit up, he looked at me and started jumping up and down and grabbed one of his snacks and excitedly gave it to me to help him open it.    I smiled and enjoyed that moment and was thankful for the many lessons my son teaches me on a daily basis.   Our holidays are not perfect, but we are working on better traditions that suit our family.

Ideas for New Traditions

It is difficult to start new traditions. This is an amazing book with lots of great ideas for traditions for your family. You could use this book with your family to choose new traditions that fit your unique family.

Carrie

"I took my son here for his first birthday today and he had so much fun!!! This place is a hidden gem! It’s absolutely amazing ☺️ the owner is amazing and so friendly. I felt so welcomed and my son had a blast! Highly recommend this place!!!"

-Carrie (Parent)
Sensorytowne
2019-04-25T18:44:56+00:00
-Carrie (Parent)
"I took my son here for his first birthday today and he had so much fun!!! This place is a hidden gem! It’s absolutely amazing ☺️ the owner is amazing and so friendly. I felt so welcomed and my son had a blast! Highly recommend this place!!!"

Dalia

"My kid loves this place. Extremely clean and friendly staff. I highly recommend this place. Always have something new added."

-Dalia (Parent)
Sensorytowne
2019-04-29T20:58:29+00:00
-Dalia (Parent)
"My kid loves this place. Extremely clean and friendly staff. I highly recommend this place. Always have something new added."

Angelina

"Today we went on a field trip with our daycare to Sensory Towne and our students loved it! The staff were friendly, inviting, and very interactive with our students. The environment was very clean and engaging for not only the students but the parents as well. We will definitely be booking more field trips in the future."

-Angelina (Teacher)
Sensorytowne
2019-04-29T20:58:42+00:00
-Angelina (Teacher)
"Today we went on a field trip with our daycare to Sensory Towne and our students loved it! The staff were friendly, inviting, and very interactive with our students. The environment was very clean and engaging for not only the students but the parents as well. We will definitely be booking more field trips in the future."

Courtney

"Love it here. As a therapist I can bring kiddos in to play and accomplish goals we are working on. The staff is super friendly and helpful. This is a total judge free space and there is a lot of activities for the kids."

-Courtney (Therapist)
Sensorytowne
2019-04-29T20:58:46+00:00
-Courtney (Therapist)
"Love it here. As a therapist I can bring kiddos in to play and accomplish goals we are working on. The staff is super friendly and helpful. This is a total judge free space and there is a lot of activities for the kids."

Samara

"My toddler alwaysss has a fun time here! One of our favorites. And the owner is the sweetest.  Highly recommended!"

-Samara (Parent)
Sensorytowne
2019-04-29T20:58:49+00:00
-Samara (Parent)
"My toddler alwaysss has a fun time here! One of our favorites. And the owner is the sweetest.  Highly recommended!"

Clara Testimonial

"Amazing place! The owner is great, she is very enthusiastic and loves kids. There are classes, special events, and free play as well. It's perfect for a rainy day or when it's too hot outside for the park. There is always something to do at Sensory Towne!"

-Clara K. (Parent)
Sensorytowne
2019-06-29T01:51:39+00:00
-Clara K. (Parent)
"Amazing place! The owner is great, she is very enthusiastic and loves kids. There are classes, special events, and free play as well. It's perfect for a rainy day or when it's too hot outside for the park. There is always something to do at Sensory Towne!"

Danielle

"My son who just turned 3 LOVES this place!! We like to attend the Wednesday morning art classes!!There is so much to do, super clean and the owner is so sweet! We will definitely keep coming back!! ☺️"

-Danielle (Parent)
Sensorytowne
2019-05-07T00:59:00+00:00
-Danielle (Parent)
"My son who just turned 3 LOVES this place!! We like to attend the Wednesday morning art classes!!There is so much to do, super clean and the owner is so sweet! We will definitely keep coming back!! ☺️"

Lisa K

This birthday party was the most fun! The staff was fantastic.  I cannot give them enough credit for how amazing they were.  The made sure we were taken care of.  They handled prepping, clean up, make sure all guests plates and cups were full.  We did not lift a finger.  Miss Kimberly was engaging and sweet and has done a wonderful job with Sensory Towne. Best birthday ever!

Lisa K (Parent)

Sensorytowne
2019-10-14T18:50:49+00:00

Lisa K (Parent)

This birthday party was the most fun! The staff was fantastic.  I cannot give them enough credit for how amazing they were.  The made sure we were taken care of.  They handled prepping, clean up, make sure all guests plates and cups were full.  We did not lift a finger.  Miss Kimberly was engaging and sweet and has done a wonderful job with Sensory Towne. Best birthday ever!
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