Acts of Kindness

Still feeling under the weather, yesterday I took Timmy to a new indoor play facility. My guilt for not playing with him directly was overshadowed by his excitement and his joy when playing with new friends. He took off running as soon as we entered the facility while I took a position on a comfortable chair in center. I was able to watch him climb, slide and run without moving which, given my current health situation, was a huge benefit.

The only time Timmy came to me was when he wanted tokens for the claw machine or drinks of water. I was impressed as I watched him concentrate and maneuver the claw over top of a ball.  One by one he plucked the balls from the machine, happily distributing his prizes to his new friends. My generous little boy didn't stop playing until every child in the play land had a ball. 

Gifting his prizes was not the only sign of kindness demonstrated by my little Hamlet.  While he was playing with his new friends, one of the boys actively started to exclude another little boy. He was shouting and directing the little follower to "go away and stop following them." The little boy seemed confused and stopped running.  Without hesitating, Timmy walked back and took the little boy's hand as they continued to play. The little boy was again included into the group because Timmy took the initiative to make sure that it happened. I was so proud of him!

I planned to stay and play for about two hours. Timmy had other plans, keeping us there for over four hours. Despite obviously losing steam, he swore he wasn't tired, but his little energy reserves finally wore out. Another little friend came down the slide and told me that the "little boy with green pants" was asleep by the slide.  Apparently my little guy had dozed off while waiting for turn to go down the slide. I climbed up the structure (not an easy feat because the slides and rope bridges are not designed for a plump woman with one foot) and found him sitting against the netting, sound asleep. 

Even though I was feeling sick, Timmy had a fantastic day. I am glad that I was able to just observe him play with other children. I felt reassured witnessing his unprompted acts of kindness towards his young playmates. He may drive me batty at times but I felt like we must be doing something right as parents.

Park Escape (Again)

After much prodding from my family, I finally relented and went back to the doctor. The appointment was about as productive as I anticipated, but the diagnosis of a chest cold vs. pneumonia certainly lightened my worry. I was told to stay the course of decongestants, water and rest (if only Timmy would comply) and sent on my way. Hopefully this cold will fade soon because this week has been absolutely miserable!

Timmy has no regard for Momom being sick and was chomping at the bit to go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. Knowing that I wasn't a host for pneumonia, I packed him up and we headed to the Animal Park. He spent nearly four hours running around and playing on the outdoor climbing structures and slides while I was able to sit quietly on a bench. I'm not accustomed to being the parent who watches from a distance, but in this case it was the best thing I could do for both of us.  He was able to run and play while I was able to rest and relax. 

This morning I'm feeling better. My chest hurts a little less and I actually slept more than an hour before waking up. I'm going to try to take it easy today, although it is supposed to rain so my escape to the park probably won't work again. Wish me luck wrangling my energetic little preschooler!

Park Sick Day

Since I was able to remain upright throughout the day yesterday I am fairly certain I do not have the flu.  Timmy was delighted with the warm weather and was chomping at the bit to spend as much time as possible playing outside. We eventually ended up at the park, partly because I thought he would enjoy it but mainly because I knew I would be able to sit quietly while he ran around with other little playmates.  Normally I am climbing and swinging with him, but yesterday I was content sitting on the sidelines.

While I'm trying to embrace the positive of dodging the flu, the reality that I feel icky keeps kicking me in the face. My cough is worsening and it is becoming increasingly painful to breath. I'm going to the doctor this morning and I'm hoping that he can prescribe something to help me heal quicker. This Momom doesn't have the time to be sick!

Feeling Miserable

I woke up yesterday morning feeling horrible. I tried to blame not sleeping well, but I knew the culprit. My "mom immunity" had reached its threshold and petered out. I was sick. Somehow Scott and I managed to nurse both boys through the flu without becoming infected. I feel miserable now, but I'm thankful that I didn't become ill when the boys needed me most. 

My throat hurts, my chest hurts from couching, my ears drums feel like they are bulging and I'm exhausted. Scott went to the pharmacy yesterday and came home with a small arsenal of pharmaceuticals to combat the symptoms. Fingers crossed he isn't the next casualty, because then our boys would have a huge advantage over us!  

I'm hoping that I don't have the flu, but I'm not overly optimistic that I will get through this season unscathed. Wish me luck today as I try to wrangle an active and happy Hamlet while I feel so crummy. It is going to be 70 degrees today, and I don't think he will be content to watch cartoons on the couch. Hopefully the medicines will work some magic and I'll be at least functional today.  

#HandsOffMyADA

The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) was groundbreaking legislation ensuring equal access and the civil rights for all individuals regardless of impairment. While the federal legislation has been lauded for breaking down the physical barriers that were keeping many from equal access to public buildings, a handful of individual states have attempted to "strengthen" the law through separate legislative initiatives. While the Federal law does not provide monetary compensation when businesses and facilities are deemed out of compliance, some of these state regulations have opened the option.  In these states, "drive-by" lawsuits have become prolific.  H.R. 620 is an attempt to rectify the situation.

While H.R. 620 aims to fix a true issue with abuses around Title III of the ADA (equal access to buildings and facilities), it is not the correct solution. Under H.R. 620, the civil rights of individuals with disabilities are put on hold as the judicial process examines the situation. The estimated 2-4 month remedy could easily become 6-12 months, excluding the disability community from accessing a building or facility during the process.

H.R. 620 passed the House last week, but at this time there is no comparable bill in the Senate. I encourage everybody to contact their Senators and encourage them to keep their #HandsOffMyADA.  Instead encourage the individual states to remove the financial compensation option from their books, nullifying the frivolous lawsuits that are hurting businesses in this communities.

I feel it is important to remind my readers that Title III of the ADA requires "reasonable accommodations."  The very definition of "reasonable" under the statute is influenced by the size and scope of the businesses out of compliance.  The ADA is not intended to terrify small businesses but is rather meant to strengthen society by permitting equal access by everybody in the community, regardless of impairment.

Dave and I recorded an important podcast about H.R. 620.  Please listen, and act.