Boating Therapy.

My parents had a BBQ last night- not a huge crowd, but large enough to get Jaysen's dander up after awhile. My parents are also notorious for calling an event at 4:00p, and starting to heat up the grill somewhere around 5:00p. So Jaysen was getting pretty antsy by the time dinner was ready. He ate his hot dog (nothing else), and was ready to go home right after.

I decided to try to buy some time, and entice him with a boat ride in the inflatable raft my dad got for the communal pond off of their backyard. Jaysen of course said yes, he wanted to go for a ride.

Getting into the boat was interesting, but once entry was accomplished, Jaysen really enjoyed the boat ride. We looked at the trees and houses forming a fortress surrounding the border of the water, we checked out the "nucky" stuff floating in the green water, and tried to catch some ducks. Jaysen commented that Moppi and Peepa (my parents) got smaller the further out we went, until they were itty-bitty like "baby Moppi and Peepa". He thought that was funny. It was a blast.

As we just floated around the pond, I commented on how peaceful and relaxing it was on the water. Jaysen agreed, let out a big sigh, and said "I want to go to sleep". He turned around so he could lean back on the bow of the boat, and closed his eyes.

Jaysen's always been a water kid, but it usually means playtime for him. Despite my attempts to show him how soaking in the bathtub with a pillow and bubbles can be calming, he has always equated water with fun. Here he was, laying back, eyes closed...relaxing. It was moving for me to see him so calmed and serene.

He talked about the boat ride well after we got home. He gave me a play-by-play recap of what we did, what we saw, and how he liked to "go to sleep" on the boat. We will definitely be returning much more this summer. I just hope he doesn't ask for a pond for his birthday...