Sledding

First big snow fall of the winter today coincided with my kids' day off. And snow means sledding, so we went sledding over on our hill this afternoon. Well, G and I threw snowballs, Nic sledded. He insisted on wearing a hand-crocheted buttercup yellow cap--and I didn't have another hat for him to wear, so the hat stayed.

Figured it was no big deal.

DESPITE the hat, Nic's friend B and his brother approached Nic, and the three of them spent the next hour hanging out and sledding together.

We've been going to that hill the last 3 years and we've never had anyone pay attention to us, let alone want to sled with either of my kids. Yet here was B and brother, and they had a blast, all three together.

And Nic looked just like any other kid. Except for the hat.

Parents of autistic kids live for this particular moment, when a regular kid approaches your kid and just wants to play. Guess what, we've had maybe a half dozen of those moments in the last year with B?

This mom's heart is singing tonight.