Today I'm linking up with the Five Minute Friday community, where we write for five minutes on a given prompt. Today's word is ADAPT.
For the last couple of months we have been adapting our daily schedule. Jonathan has been taking the bus to and from school ever since he began high school, and it has been so convenient.
But lately (perhaps because he's going through a teenage phase), Jonathan has gotten very sedentary. He doesn't want to go to the schoolyard to play ball, or to a park for a walk along the shore. He has also gained quite a bit of weight (again, maybe a teenage phase; maybe he's preparing for an upward growth spurt). But we want him to have more exercise, so we've decided that he will take the bus to school in the morning but will walk home from school in the afternoon. It's about a 20-minute walk, so it guarantees that he'll get more exercise in his day.
However, he's not able to walk home alone, which means that Richard or I have to walk there to pick him up and walk home with him.
This has meant adapting our day to the new routine. If Richard's working or unavailable, I can't just sit at my computer waiting to spy the bus coming at 2:35; instead, I have to be ready to leave home at 2:05 to walk to the school.
Sometimes, to be honest, it's a bit of a drag. I walk regularly for exercise, but I like to do that early in the day -- so if I've already had my "exercise" walk earlier, I don't necessarily feel like another 40-minute walk in the afternoon.
But there are benefits. Jonathan gets a lot of enjoyment from observing things like seagulls and geese in the sky, shovels and brooms on porches, and yellow school buses all over the place.
Hopefully soon his "inert" phase will pass, and he'll want to get out and do more physical activity. But for now, we adapt.
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(Here is Jonathan walking -- though not home from school.
I wish this was our walk home!)
Perhaps, if you know you will be walking Jonathan home that day you could postpone the exercise until the afternoon for that day. I bet he loves the one on one time with you! If not just think of the extra health benefits from this additional walking/quality time spent outdoors. Great post, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteFMF #50 this week.
Hi Karen, thanks for coming by. Yeah, there are definitely some days that I just postpone my walk until afternoon. I'm grateful that I work from home and can be flexible. Great to have you here; enjoy your weekend!
DeleteBless you for being sensitive to your child's needs and sacrificing for his sake. Love in action all the way! Stopping by from FMF!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here, Leigh. I appreciate it!
DeleteThere are often hidden blessings in life's adaptations. I wonder what you'll talk about as you walk home with Jonathon? No doubt he'll surprise you with his observations of the world in that 40 minute hike.
ReplyDeletevisiting from spot #48 FMF
He is very observant, Vicki. He hears an ambulance in the distance or an airplane in the sky long before anyone else does. He's fascinated by garbage cans and recycling containers, laundry on clotheslines, seagulls ... so there's never a dull moment.
Delete:-)
Life with kids especially those with disabilities/challenges can be full of so much adaptability, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteFor sure - you ALWAYS have to be open to change. Thanks for coming by, Tara.
DeleteGood for you for setting an example of keeping exercise a priority! I've had to adapt my schedule and make dinner at a consistent time this year--we have a college student living with us, and in order to help him adapt to college, we have to provide consistency with meal times.
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Anita! Adapting is all part of "adulting," I guess. Thanks for reading and commenting - have a great weekend.
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