Fireworks...

Today is the 4th of July. As much as we love our country, the 4th of July comes and goes pretty much like any other day at our house. Both of our boys are terrified of fireworks! Just the mention of fireworks is enough to invoke some pretty serious anxiety and non-stop earplugging. I have mentioned before that raising two kids "on the spectrum" leaves us to deal with some interesting fears, and one of the biggies at our house is loud noises. No loud noises, no fireworks.

Sometimes these fears bring family fun to a quick halt. For example, Wednesday night we tried to take the boys to a Round Rock Express Game. The Round Rock Express is Austin's minor league baseball team. Each year, Keith's office gets invited to a family fun night there hosted by one of the insurance carriers. They set up inflatables in the parking lot, grill out and give free tickets to the game. Keith almost didn't get tickets this year, since Family Fun night fell on my 34th birthday. He was sure I wouldn't want to spend my birthday at a ball game. Maybe not, but it was something fun for us to do and it was free. Why not, right?

On the big day, Sam asked if there would be fireworks at the game. I assured him that any fireworks would come after the game. So if they were planning fireworks, we would be sure to leave the game early. He seemed satisfied with that answer, and off we went.

We arrived well before the game started so that the boys could enjoy the inflatables. Principal Financial Group had set up all sorts of fun things to do. There were bounce houses and slides, as well as places to practice batting, pitching and catching. There were also photo booths where you could get your picture on the "cover" of Sports Illustrated, or your very own baseball card. Sam was having a blast, but I noticed Stephen was reluctant to participate in anything. I took him around to various stations trying to entertain him, but no luck. He was so focused on the noise from the generators and air blowers that fill up the inflatables that he just wouldn't play. Keith took Sam around from station to station, while I tried my best to find anything that would light Stephen's fire. No luck. He just stood there terrified until I gave up and we took a "field trip" to the bathroom.

Once we got inside the stadium, we got dinner and headed to our seats. The boys were pretty bored at first, but once the pregame activities began (and the cheeseburgers were distributed) they settled down a bit. The first inning began and I thought, "okay, this is going to work." And then, Round Rock hit their first home run. Apparently, it is traditional for them to shoot off fireworks to celebrate home runs! No warning...just BOOM!

Needless to say, our cubs were not happy. Both of them immediately plugged their ears and Sam started to cry. As a parent, sometimes I am really tempted to get frustrated. I mean really, can it be that bad?!? But knowing what I know now about kids with sensory issues, I can't even imagine how loud and scary these noises are to them.

Either way, the boys were NOT HAPPY. We tried assuring them every way we knew how, but they were just not having anymore of this baseball thing. Eventually, I gave up and took the boys to the stadium playground. But even the play scape wasn't much fun for Sam. It's apparently pretty hard to climb anything with your fingers in your ears...and those suckers weren't coming out for anything!

Eventually, Keith and I relented and took the boys home. I think what was so frustrating for us is that we really try to accommodate for our kids. We know what their needs are, we know what their fears are, and we really try to make special memories for them in spite of those fears. But somedays, no matter how hard you try to protect your kids, you are still hit with the unexpected.

The more I think about it, the more I know that's true for every parent. It's frustrating when you can't explain your child's fears away. But then I think about how frustrated God must get with me sometimes. I am 34 years old and still holding on to some irrational fears of my own. I can hear God encouraging me to let them go. I know that he is not a god of confusion and his plans for me are pleasing and perfect. And scripture is full of his promises to protect me. But most importantly, I know that nothing surprises God. He is never "hit with the unexpected."

So on this 4th of July, I am thankful for freedom, the freedom that comes from living in this great nation, but also for freedom from fear.

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1