Disney on Ice

For Christmas this year, Chris and I were trying to focus a little bit on experiences over too much "stuff" and so we decided to get the kids tickets to Disney on Ice. Colin and Kailey had been once before when they were much younger and we knew it would be something that we could all enjoy.

 Shortly after getting the tickets, we were also offered another set of tickets that had become available to my dad and so we went this past weekend with my parents. All 3 kids were really excited and it was talked a lot beforehand. Colin especially, was really excited to go.

While Colin has come so far from so many of the challenges he has faced in his younger years, there are still some things that crop up from time to time that remind me of so many difficulties he has had. One of those challenges that I think will continue to be something Colin will deal with for a long time is his discomfort over the "unknown". He is very comfortable in his routines and structure and although he was really excited right up until getting there, it all started to fall apart about 45 minutes before the show when he didn't know exactly what to expect.

During this time, Colin became very upset and his "go to" response is to ask to go to the bathroom many times. I think that one of the triggers was that it was dark and he didn't know what would be coming out next and it's very difficult to comfort him at this time.

Once the show actually got started, I needed to give him some time to relax but also, be a little forceful in getting him to stay in our section. I knew that once he saw the characters come out that his anxiety would ease some which is exactly what happened. As the show really got going, he started to get excited once again and even waved to some of the characters as they came out. However, there were a few effects that would set him off again and then it would take some time before he calmed down once again.

I am really proud of Colin because as he grows and matures, he is really making so much progress in so many areas. However, there are still times where we are reminded that he still has difficulties that we need to be patient and continue to work through. In the end, we all had a great time at the show and despite Colin's earlier anxieties, he pulled through in the end!