Today, or tonight rather, we take Daniel to his first concert.
At least the first one that isn't on a Sunday afternoon and filled with knee-high fans using sippy-cups.
We're going to see the Decemberists, all three of us.
I wrote a note to the school that he'll be out tomorrow. Sleeping off the excitement...hopefully.
We know the risks.
We bought the earplugs.
And the safety earmuffs.
There's no guarantee that we'll even make it through the opening act. But the prospect of hearing
"The Apology Song" or "The Mariner's Revenge" might just be enough incentive to stick it through to the end. That, or maybe just the lure of staying up all night.
I'm excited at the possibility that this wacky idea might work. I mean auditory sensitivity isn't Daniel's biggest issue, at least not one that impacts us on a daily basis, but when you couple it with a large crowd, wacky lights, and staying up past bedtime... well, that certainly seems like a recipe for disaster.
And this is the point that I'm making very awkwardly - we are still going through with it!
We are all older, bigger, more mature, and either more fool-hardy or more certain that there is a chance of success here.
I feel like we (all three of us) are building a ladder, or a scaffold as a friend of mine used to say, creating experiences, and memories for Daniel, that teach him that he can do it, that he doesn't have to let his anxiety, or his sensory issues hold him back. Each experience gets him a little closer to his peers. And look!
We managed The Blue Man Group!
We did Broadway!
He went Trick-or-Treating for well over an hour!
I have high hopes for us.
We are all growing up.
Oh,
and.... good work last Tuesday everybody!









