This isn’t just a “cute picture” I took of Jojo.
I took this picture moments before we entered the fairgrounds for the final day of our local State Fair.
This is the first time we have gone out in a place this crowded with Jojo since Disneyland in 2019…
…the last time he eloped and we lost him (the fourth time).
At Disneyland, we were actually prepared. We got an Angelsense tracker. We brought my parents along, two extra sets of eyes. We had Jonah decked out in non-verbal Autism apparel to give the average stranger a heads up if they happened to see him wandering by himself. We did everything we could think of to keep him safe.
We still lost him.
Angelsense wasn’t helpful in this environment. There were too many people. We knew he was SOMEWHERE inside the park but in the end we had to just look the old fashioned way, running around asking people if they had seen a little boy in a blue shirt that said “0% VERBAL, 100% AUSOME.”
We found him after a proverbial eternity squatting on top of a 6-foot rock wall he had climbed.
Today, three years later, we finally ventured out to “the crowds” again.
Papa took Jonny first (because they had already planned to go together) and we had planned on just meeting them there.
But then, Jonah became distressed that Jonny was doing something fun and he wasn’t. So as soon as Jonny and Papa left, Jonah became adamant about also leaving, so we were on “the clock.”
And we got rushed. We got distracted.
…And it’s like we completely forgot how to prepare for “all that.”
Jonah wasn’t dressed in “autism apparel.” He wasn’t even wearing a brightly colored shirt so he would stand out in a crowd. He was wearing the most “non-descript” outfit he possessed.
We no-longer use GPS trackers and I wouldn’t know where to even start if I lost Jonah at the State Fair.
So, as a precaution I took a photo of him just before we entered the main gate.
I figured if nothing else, if the “unthinkable” happened (again), security could at least use the photo as a “have you seen this boy?” image and have a current representation of his appearance.
Yeah.
Seriously.
Sometimes I wonder what I’m even doing as a parent. Who thinks that?
Who does that?
But then I remembered how it felt three years ago. And the time before that. And the time before that. And the time before that…
…and I told myself, “I am exactly who my son needs me to be. I will do whatever I need to do to make sure he is safe.”
So I took the picture. I made sure I had eyes on him at ALL times. I noted all the possible places Jonah might find interesting. I located any and all water attractions. I mentally logged all park entrance/exits…
…just in case.
But guess what?
We didn’t need any of that today because Jonah did GREAT.
He stayed with us the entire time. He followed directions without complaint. He waited patiently in line for the rides, sometimes up to an hour or more. He willingly left the rides area when it was time to eat.
But the biggest victory was this:
He left the park when it was time to leave, without ANY complaint.
If Jonah were to elope, it would typically be during a “leaving transition” because the fair is such a huge preferred place for him.
He would literally NEVER want to leave, and he would do anything in his power to stay, including running out of Mommy and Daddy’s sight so they couldn’t make him leave.
But not this time.
This time, Jonah willingly walked with us away from the fun rides (and their long lines) all the way back to the car. He climbed in, drank his water and settled in.
It wasn’t until then that I finally “released” the proverbial “breath” I had been holding.
We made it home without incident.
We weren’t nearly “prepared” enough for “The Fair,” but thankfully, we didn’t need to be this time. I didn’t need to worry about “the last place I saw him.” I didn’t need to ask anyone if they had seen my son.
I didn’t need to give this picture to security.
This isn’t just a “cute picture” I took of Jojo.
Neither is it now a “missing boy” picture.
Now, this picture serves as a reminder of how far we have come. It is a reminder of all of the hard work Jonah has put in.
It is a reminder of a day of “victories.”
#ausome