Splash Pad Fun

My family and I including dad, my 5-year-old son with autism, and 7 month old daughter walked over to a local splash pad/wading pool in our neighbourhood on a hot summer day. The splash pad was very busy lots of kids and parents playing in the water having a great time. We did not know any of the other families at the splash pad that day.

Getting to the splash pad even though it is quite close is a bit of a challenge. Getting a 5-year-old who is always moving around into his bathing suit and applying sunscreen is tiring. As well as packing all the supplies we need (towels, snacks, water, diapers, baby food etc) without forgetting anything is quite stressful. I always seem to forget something but since the splash pad is only a 5 minute walk from our house I was not too worried about forgetting things. It is easy to go back home. The next hurdle to get over is actually walking to the splash pad. My baby is in a stroller so it is easy to get her there and pack all of our stuff onto the stroller but my 5-year-old son likes to be chased and run so we need to hold his hand especially near the busy streets. We constantly tell him to watch for traffic before crossing the street but I do not think he quite understands the dangers. It is quite stressful for me as a mom to go for walks since I am worried about my sons safety. So unfortunately for now, I hold his hand to ease some of my stress. Once we safely arrive at the splash pad my son is ready to go in the wading pool by himself which is something he would not do at age 2 or 3. He is becoming more independent and does not need mom or dad right next to him anymore especially in places he has been to before like the splash pad. He knows he is safe because his parents are nearby so he runs around having fun. He is quite apprehensive at the spray pad and he does not like to get his head wet or run through the spray pad. He does put his feet and hands in the water though and has fun doing this. He as become more social and will play with other kids at the splash pad mainly by splashing other kids or running after them. He does not seem to understand that it maybe a good idea to ask other kids if they want to be splashed before splashing them but on this particular day the kids at the pool were not bothered by it. I was quite proud of my son when a bigger girl maybe around 9 or 10 ask my son his name and if she could splash him and play with him. I was very happy that he responded with his name and said yes to being chased and splashed. Its wonderful to see my son so happy playing even though he does not quite understand how to communicate with other children. He had a wonderful time at the splash pad and it is getting easier to get him to switch activities (ie. leaving the splash pad to go home for lunch) without much of a struggle. So after spending time playing we walked home and ate some lunch. It was a great day.

I learned that my son is making gains in his ability to socialize with other children and children between the ages of 2 to 10 are quite willing to initiate play with my son even though he cannot communicate fully with them. As a parent I need to just let my son have fun and not try to intervene so much just let him have fun. I know that he has a long road ahead of him in terms of making friends when he is older but for right now I should just enjoy the fact that my son is young and is not being left out.