This beautiful baby represents possibility, potential, dreams, future plans and achievement. In a word : LIFE. We are all learning all the time. Every experience is an opportunity for growth. For you, for me and for our kids with autism.
What is a “bucket list”?
“A bucket list is a number of experiences or achievements one hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime.”
This is a term that has been thrown around a lot in recent year – in the media, on blogs and in books. I love the idea of having a “bucket list”! I also believe that bucket lists are not limited to those sweet years of college or the beginning months of a new relationship. On the contrary, creating life goals (whether big or small), achieving them, checking them off, creating new goals and achieving those goals, is a continuous and beautiful ti stay present and engaged with your life throughout it!
I was with a child at school this morning. I coach the educational team at school to put in place an adapted program I wrote for this particular child. It is full of specific and measurable goals. Once these goals are completed, I say the child has “progressed”. That’s awesome! I congratulate the team (and most importantly, the child!) and I suggest new goals. Goals change depending on the age of the child and the “developmental age” of the child (where they are currently across various skill domains).
Early this afternoon, I took a coffee break and went to one of my favorite cafés for a “piccolo” (double espresso with just a “nuage” of milk – in case you were wondering). Sitting outside, I had the idea for this article.
What if you were take a break, sit down with a pen and paper, and write a bucket list for your child. What would be on it? What do you want for your child in his or her future? Your list would probably range from the everyday, yet sometimes not so simple, “make a new friend”, to the more complex “have a family one day”.
This thought motivated me to write this post and to create my very own bucket list for a my kiddos with autism.
So, here goes…
A bucket list for the autistic child
- Have a great day at school.
- Have a playdate (or maybe even a sleepover if we’re feeling really bold).
- Listen to a bedtime story from start to finish.
- Pet a dog.
- Take care of an aquarium full of fish.
- Learn to follow a recipe from start to finish. (Better yet, learn to create their own recipe!)
- Go to a school dance.
- Have a fantastic home program in place full of fun and Learning.
- Try a new food.
- Make a new friend.
- Wear a t-shirt (w/ the tag). (*wink*)
- Travel to another country.
- Learn to drive.
- Have a dream and make it happen.
- Have a loving relationship.
- Complete an art activity from start to finish.
- Be an active uncle or an aunt.
- See a movie at the cinema.
- Learn to read.
- Participate in a team sport.
- Laugh until out of breath.
- Climb a tree.
- Ride on a train.
- Have a fabulous birthday party.
- Swim in the ocean.
- Sleep through the night. (Ok this may be on your bucket list rather than your child’s.)
- Learn to play a board game.
- Go to prom.
- Spend the day with loving grandparents.
- Babysit a younger sibling.
- Run in the grass barefoot.
- Live independently.
(Ok in anticipation of my 32nd birthday next week, I am stopping at 32 but, trust me, I have so many more dreams for our kids. I could keep adding to this list all day and all night!)
What’s on my bucket list?
Move to Paris.Meet and marry the love of my life.Start this blog.Add 2 yorkies to our family.Create a center for children with autism and other special needs in Paris.Learn French.- Travel for a year as a “nomadic family”.
- Learn to make a tiered cake.
- Create a therapy program for autistic children with alpacas in the French countryside.
- Travel to India for a yoga retreat.
Speak for Unicef at Carnegie Hall.- Take a food photography class.
- Learn Italian.
Travel to Myanmar.- Start a pre-school for children with, and without, special needs.
- Volunteer to help special needs kids in developing countries.
(This list could go on and on too!) 🙂
If you’d like to learn about me, check out this article that I had a blast writing : The Girl Behind the Blog (spolier alert : you will learn how I — and I love —).
So what is on your bucket list for your child? Is your child making progress? Is he or she working towards goals and achieving those goals? What are you most proud of? ♥
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