Tenting Practice!

Thank you L.L. Bean!!

When you think of a family camping trip, what runs through your mind? Probably a list of necessary items are the first thought. Tent, camp bags, bathing suits, extra clothes, lots of food and water, etc. And then come thoughts of a fun weekend filled with fishing, campfire food, and spending time together as a family by the fire. Yes?

When you live with Autism in your life, simple trips like this, and the thoughts that come along with it, can sometimes turn into a worrisome pattern of over thinking, and over packing. Well, for the parent, anyway.

This is because most people with Autism have a hard time with change. Transitioning to a new situation can sometimes lead to a melt down. Especially when those situations are nearly always the same. Bed time is one of those BIG situations.

So, when Mia and I received our package in the mail from L.L. Bean, courtesy of their Get Out(Fitted) Gear Giveaway in celebration of their 100th Year Anniversary, filled with gifts for new outdoor adventures, I was excited and nervous all at once. One of the items that this great company gave us was a brand new two person Adventure tent! Along with it came two new camp bags, headlamps, and a new hiking pack for Mia!

Hey, this is like my hat, but brighter! 

Getting all of this great gear meant that I would be able to add to our list of outdoor adventures. Namely, camping! I’ve been wanting to camp with Mia for quite a while. Between finding the funds to invest in some necessary gear, and finding the right time to introduce her to the experience, it’s been a long wait. But thanks to L.L. Bean, we were one step closer! This, was the excitement part! Being able to fulfill my dream of introducing Mia to something else I love to do!

Then, of course, came my worries of how she would react to this new situation. While she’s been doing relatively well with transitioning to new experiences, this one made me very nervous. Bedtime has always been fairly ritualistic in our world. And of course, we always sleep in the same place, so my worry came from her adjusting to sleeping in something that bore no resemblance to home.

With that, I started a plan of attack. I knew that we should do a test run first to rule out the chance that sleeping in a tent might not agree with Mia. With this test run, I brought some of Mia’s favorite bedtime items. Number one being Froggy, her classical music playing stuffed friend. I also brought her favorite blanket, and her favorite pillow. My hope was that these familiar items would help her adjust to a not so familiar situation. Our test run would take place at Grammy and grampies house, just in case Mia couldn’t adjust.

We set up “camp”, had dinner with the grandparents, and then settled in for what I hoped would be a good night of slumber. Mia and I got into the tent, and I was happy to see her smiling from ear to ear! She laid down on her pillow, grabbed Froggy, and the classical rhythms commenced, Mia was not only completely comfortable in this unusual situation, but also completely mesmerized by the cocoon that we were in. She enjoyed the amount of fresh air we were able to breathe in, and she loved her new camp bag!

Mia's right at home in our "mobile" home!

This is another one of those times in which I couldn’t be happier of Mia’s accomplishments! This particular accomplishment is that of adaptability. This little test run was just another sign that she has overcome this huge barrior that a lot of people with Autism deal with. Success!

It also means that we’ll be able to pack up and head for a REAL camping adventure!! Hmmm….. Where will we head to next?!