A special afternoon for Keyan

A play date…something that a lot of parents take for granted as just part of having kids. It is a ritual that allows the kids to have some independence, learn how to adapt to new environments, and just have some plain old fun.  For parents who have been blessed with a kiddo with special needs however, “play dates” are often a reminder of how far you are from the dreams you may have had for your precious child.  They don’t happen…you understand why, but it breaks your heart non the less.  Being invited to a friends house to play gives kids something to look forward to and  makes for happy kids.  Today, Keyan was ecstatic. 

 

Meet Max.  Max is in Keyan’s class and he has bugging his mom for awhile now to have Keyan over to play.  He as a heart for Keyan that we have not experienced much before.  It is not uncommon for Max to help Keyan find her way around the classroom, or for him to help her get her stuff all set up for the day.  He gets her chair, makes sure she has someone to play with, helps her with her classroom work, and just looks out for her.  When his mom asked me about a play date, I held my tears back until I got in the van, but then they flowed.

You see, a play date is more than an afternoon of fun.  It is about friendship.  I have been longing for a friend to come along side of Keyan and be a real friend to her.  Don’t get me wrong, she has tons of kids who care about her, and she is ALWAYS included in the foursome of our girls.  We have been lucky for both of those things.  We have rarely experienced her being left out purposely or being made fun of, but this was extra special.  It was just her and it was Max’s idea.  Not something that was forced, not just because she is part of “the girls”, but because he cares about her and likes hanging out with her. 

I will admit that I was nervous as the afternoon approached. Not because of the logistics…we had those all worked out…I was tagging along to the play date in order to keep her medically safe…   My fears were about Keyan being accepted.  I kept asking Paul, “Do you think that these parents have any idea about Keyan?  Will they think that she is weird?  Will they have pity in their eyes?  Will they know what to do with her?”  My mom finally quieted my fears by reminding me that I wasn’t giving people enough credit, and that Max learned his compassion from them…it would be FINE…and ya know what?  It was more than fine!

Max’s dad is a firefighter and Max invited Keyan to the fire station to explore.  She was ready for hours before it was time to go and more than once I had to stop her from getting into the car because it was WAY to soon.  We arrived at the station and Max came running out to get Keyan.  They had coloring pages for the kids to do and Max had made sure to have big crayons for Keyan!  Max gave Keyan a grand tour of all the trucks and equipment.  They sprayed the hose, climbed up in the trucks, and even got to try on the fireman clothes.  After exploring all the nooks and crannies of the station, Max invited Keyan to go to his house. 

An afternoon with Max VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

So, off we went.  Max opened the car door for her, and than went around and sat right next to her helping her with her seatbelt.  It was amazing to see her “normalness” through his eyes.  He knows her differences, yet he celebrates and embraces them as part of her.  We could all learn a lot from Max.

After several hours of hard core playing, we headed home.  She dozed on the short ride home but couldn’t wait to tell everyone about her day. Keyan is a little girl of few words but her smile told the whole story!  She was exhausted, her body worn out, and is requiring some extra breathing treatments after all of the excitement.  But none if us care about any of that. It was SO worth it.  I am SO grateful for Max and his family.  They gave us all a gift today…an afternoon of just being a mommy and a kid.