
The kings in their chair!
I thought today would be the last day we were going to use our Please Touch Membership. It expires at the end of the month and the boys are getting big at nine and seven years old. We have been members since Aaron was born in 2005. I used to take a young and so impulsive Ryan when he was two years old and a baby Aaron to the Please Touch when it was downtown. It was always hard to go to the Please Touch with Ryan, but we had so many successes there. I remember his first big behavioral win. I took him to the show, Scat Cat’s Junior Jamboree. He sat the whole time enjoying every minute of the show. Every time I took him to story-time or anything else where you had to sit, it was a complete failure. Today we went to see the Scat Cat show out of nostalgia because we have seen it about ten times over the years. It was bittersweet to be there with the big kids. I had no clue that Ryan was different from the other kids when he was little. I thought everyone’s kid tried to hang from lights in the ceiling as soon as they could crawl. I thought everyone’s kid was sensory seeking. What did I know??
We have been there so often over the years the long time employees know us. I guess it is not often a tattooed Mom shows up with two kids with bright red hair. Today was no different. We arrived in the parking lot and Ryan started talking about the kids who are bullying him at school. He said all they talk about is sports and dating girls. They hate me and call me Momma’s Boy because we dropped off a cupcake to Ryan in his class when it was Food Allergy Awareness week and Snitch because he told when they were threatening him over other things. I said they are not here Ryan. He replied good. Those kids want me to grow up faster than I am ready to. I don’t want to date girls I want to play. Right there he put a voice to his 30% more immature than regular kid statistic for ADHD kids. I said, Ryan be a kid, enjoy what you want, you will never see those kids again after twenty one days.
Ryan is very tall for his age. When on swim team the twelve year olds pushed him behind them thinking he was older

They were impressed with Ryan’s science skills!
than they were and he is nine. Add in the immaturity for his issues and he basically acts seven and looks twelve. It is a hard place to be. Today at the museum he did not let his size stop him. He jumped in with two feet. When we attended a science show he told the person running the show about sound waves and how the ear works. The person was so impressed she made him her assistant. The other parents asked me about my very smart kid and I smiled. After the show I thanked the woman who ran the show. I told her that Ryan had numerous learning disabilities and ADHD. He is failing three classes and what she did for him today went a long way to help his self esteem.
We also had lunch at the Please Touch. It was the first place I was safely able to feed Aaron out of the house. I remember the guy asking me the first time we were there if we had any food allergies we were dealing with as we ordered. I almost hugged him then and I would do it again. It was no different today except now Aaron can eat the whole bowl of pasta because he eats that much.

His eyes match the water ice!
As the boys joined in the end of the day parade they started begging me to renew the membership. I said guys you are big, are you sure? Then all the way home they told me that they thought they would be interested in coming to the Please Touch for another year. What got me was Ryan saying, Mom finally it is not totally overwhelming to be there and you are going to cancel, C’mon!
Well, I guess I am renewing my membership before next week while I can still get a discount!

Ryan hates puzzles. I am so proud of him!