He infrequently joins a group of his age-peers for an outing, so this is special and he was quite excited yesterday. Since we would be leaving the house around 7:15am, I asked him to take his shower before going to bed last night. He insisted that he much preferred to shower in the morning, so I warned him that I'd be waking him up at 6:30 to give him enough time. He requested, instead, that I wake him at 6:00 so he also has time to pack. And so it was agreed.
Around 8:45pm last night, I was mixing up a banana bread recipe so Austin could take it with him to share. Austin wanted to show me part of "Journey to the Edge of the Universe," and suggested that we could watch the movie together while the banana bread was baking. I countered that he really should be focussing on getting a good night's sleep and he pointed out that I need my sleep, too.
A moment later, however, he was busily rushing about the house, asking me questions like, "Where's my Oscar the Grouch shirt?" "Where's my backpack?" and otherwise collecting objects near the front door. We talked about his footwear and I tried to convince him to wear runners, but his runners are a size too small. If you don't know this about Austin, he likes to wear Crocs ... all seasons ... everywhere. Fraser Valley Gleaners had instructed our field trip coordinator to ensure the teen volunteers would be wearing close-toed shoes. I found their website this morning, and it specifically states, no "CROCS," but I didn't know this for sure, last night. Anyway, Austin agreed to pack his rain boots, so hopefully they'll be acceptable for today.
Something really significant took place in this flurry of activity. Austin planned and prepared ... on his own! He fully took control of making sure he packed what he needed, and he even covered self-care, including showering and planning what to eat and drink. He wanted to be sure that he would have enough to eat before leaving, to keep him from feeling hungry before noon (when they are scheduled to finish working). The only thing that appeared to be missing, was teeth-brushing, but hopefully he did that, anyway.
Austin prepared reminders and checklists and taped them to the fridge and the front door, and placed his bag packing list on top of his partially-packed backpack. To each checklist, he taped a pen which could be used to check off completed items. Here are photos of his lists and reminders:
"Eat Nana's apple sauce + bananas + cranberry juice + milk DO IT!!! (signed) Austin"
"Bag list:
Transformers packed ⧠
iPad packed ⧠
iPad charger packed ⧠
Phone packed ⧠
Spare clothes packed ⧠
Dreadwing packed ⧠
Encyclopedia packed ⧠
Are you wearing your proper clothes ⧠
Somno Pro ⧠"
"Did you do these things
Complete breakfast list ⧠
Shower ⧠
Bag list complete ⧠
Finish did you do these things list ⧠
If complete proceed to vehicle"
He was so excited this morning, that he woke up two hours early and was having his shower by 4am!
I'm really proud of Austin for being so organized and taking initiative. He thought about everything he would need to include an overnight at Nana & Papa's house. And this morning, when I was dropping him off to his ride, he even reminded me that he needed Nana and Papa's phone numbers in his phone.
Great job, Austin!!! I'll miss you today and tonight. Have a wonderful time.
