DAD.info
Free online course for separated parents
Forum - Ask questions. Get answers.
Free online course for separated parents

Playtime

“Isn’t it wonderful,

“Yes it is,” I answered, “but it’s even more wonderful than you think.”

Arun has cerebral palsy, autism and learning difficulties. One of the ways his differences manifest themselves is that Arun doesn’t really play. If you think about it, it’s hard to imagine a child that doesn’t play – one that doesn’t pick up a toy car and go “brum, brum”, one that doesn’t grab his very gregarious sister and ask to play hide and seek, one that doesn’t want to roll the dice for snakes and ladders. But that is what Arun is like.

Or was like.

The last three months have seen a transformation. For the first time ever, he started showing an interest in other children. His teacher at school reported that, prompted by an adult, he had held a conversation with a little girl in his class about his recent holiday to Scotland. A few weeks later his granny taught him to play with a toy bus, like the one that takes him to his special needs school. The children got on and off and the bus did, indeed, go “brum, brum.” And more recently, as we’ve enjoyed the wonderful hot weather, Arun and his little sister Meri have been playing beautifully in our garden. They take it in turns on Arun’s balance bike, they play with a ball and Meri marches Arun around the garden by the hand and bosses him around, just like a sister should.

The difference has been Arun’s new school. Specialising in learning difficulties and autism, the head of primary confidently told us when we joined at Easter, “People say that you can’t teach children to play but we disagree. You can teach them to play and we do.” Every parent knows that play is such an important part of our development that “learning to play” must be a priority for all children.

They are having a ball and we, as their parents are having a ball too. Last Sunday morning we sat in our dining room reading the Sunday papers as the two of them careered around the garden laughing, running and playing together. Quite apart from the 45 minutes of respite from childcare, the happy noises we listened to lifted our spirits no end.

Meri has always been Arun’s best friend and I suspect she is his favourite person in the whole world. She is the only other little person he has ever really been interested in and the only little person who has really understood him. But now she is something new, something else, something deeper and more profound: She’s his first ever friend.

So much so that Ursula, a very experienced and outstanding head-teacher was moved to comment on how well the two of them played together. I can’t describe how proud I felt.

 

 

 

The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the blogger and do not necessarily represent the views of Dad.info.

Related entries

Too old for this

Too old for this

It was late on a Thursday evening and Rodger and I were walking up Upper Street in Islington, looking for a Thai restaurant. We were a little worse for wear   “You OK?” he asked looking at my awkward gait. “Yeah,” I said with that little inflection that indicated...

Too old for this

The big day

I could hear the rustling from the room next-door and glanced at my watch: 6:30 am. I groaned to myself but there was a certain inevitability about it   The kids bounded into our room moments later. “Is Uncle Steve here? Is he here?” They asked excitedly. “Yes,...

Too old for this

The big questions

I was walking home from school with my five year old daughter. As we approached our front door she looked up at me   “Daddy?” she asked in that tone of voice that all dads will recognise as a precursor to something that they’ve been pondering. “Yes?” I answered...

Latest entries

Life after divorce: legal tips for men

Life after divorce: legal tips for men

A divorce is one of the most life-changing events most people will experience, and isaccompanied by a lot of emotional, financial, domestic and legal considerations. Thinkingabout life after divorce may be exciting, or daunting, or a combination of both, but it is...

De-escalation: how to calm kids down before they explode!

De-escalation: how to calm kids down before they explode!

Did you think that tantrums and explosions would be left in toddlerhood? Sadly, they're not. While older kids and teens are less likely to throw themselves to the floor because you didn't buy them a lolly, they can still be just ask explosive. In a bid to quell those...

How to deal with tantrums

How to deal with tantrums

Tantrums are one of the most stressful parts of parenting. Even the calmest dad can be pushed to their limits by a screaming child in the middle of Asda! Here's some helpful information on how to deal with tantrums to help you manage those miserable meltdowns: Are...

Pin It on Pinterest