All our neighbors know Jonah is autistic and mostly non-verbal. I had to tell them…just in case they saw him outside in the street by himself… (a HUGE red flag)
He can unlock and open every single door in our house. Right now, the only thing restricting any kind of access to the outside world is a baby-proof spinning door handle, which I’m sure will be defeated at any time.
He has kicked out a fence plank of a secure back yard and crawled through the opening into the front yard, open to the street…
My neighbor brought him back.
He’s ran straight out the church doors into a busy parking lot…
He’s ran 2 miles through a mall without even a glance back to see who is with him.
He will walk a mile to the elementary school if I follow him down the street.
To keep him safe is a challenge. (and that is an UNDERSTATEMENT)
He is learning what is okay and “not okay” outside. We have been teaching him to “stay with the group,” to “hold hands,” and to stay inside the house when he’s home.
Sometimes I won’t even let Jonny play outside if I have work to do inside. Jonah will want to follow his big brother, and if I can’t go outside with him, that is simply NOT an option.
So yeah… it’s not fair. But you know what?
That’s life.
We have a responsibility to keep our kids safe above all else. And like the meme says, we do WHATEVER it takes.
[thanks to Just a minutemy cape is in the dryer]