"The red canoe. It blew away. *Waves goodbye to red canoe*. The girl, she ate her lunch in the canoe, the red canoe. HAHA!"
I can't believe how well this week went (excluding one hot, humid, and testy Wednesday). Last year, every day of my week with Will was so physically and emotionally demanding (I had Will week 3 last year, and I believe the bite mark I got from him around 9am that first Monday morning lasted until week 8 or so), and, because of this, I was expecting the worst for week 4 of this year. I actually requested to work with him because, despite last year's challenges, I thought I could be a better counselor for him this year.
I don't think it was so much my "good counselorship" as it was Wilson's own hard work and overall development throughout the year that helped with the success we experienced together this week. During my phone call home, both Mum and Dad told me how well Will had been doing at understanding that it is often necessary to do something you don't like so much before you get to do something you really love. Last year, he would have had none of that. You want me to do a craft? NO! I'M SWIMMING ALL DAY AND IF YOU DON'T LET ME I'LL EAT YOU.....OR SOMETHING.
Part of the challenge in communicating with him is that he doesn't have the ability to express himself verbally. Will uses sign language to correspond with the people in his world, and if you don't know what he's signing it becomes difficult to understand what he wants or needs, and frustration ensues (in the form of kicking, scratching, biting....). I am lucky to know a fair bit of sign language, and so I could easily communicate with him and understand him. My signing gained a little bit of strength over the school year, as well, because of the experiences I have luckily been afforded through work (mainly my stay at Glenwood).
It should be noted here that there are two things Wilson REALLY likes at Camp Chippewa.
1. "The Green Chair" (i.e. terra trek, pictured above)
2. The golf car (Club Car)
Monday started off superbly. I found Will with Jackie, his bus buddy, throwing rocks into the water by the canoe docks, looking very content and comfortable. After mum and dad's mentioning of how well he had been doing with "first___ then___", I was pumped for a week of cooperation and less physical demands. It seemed to go this way for Monday, although I'll definitely admit I didn't push him to do things outside of his comfort zone as much as I could (or perhaps should) have. There were some minor incidences on Monday, focusing on his DEEP love and desire to drive the golf cart, and Kim did take a really good bite (p.s. Kim, how's the purpleness of that nibble doing??), but overall it was a really successful Monday.
Tuesday was equally as good. We canoed in the morning and signed about how brown and stinky Wilson thought the water was (haha, meeeee too buddy!), and had an amazing time swimming in the afternoon. He is the most beautiful child you could meet, but when he's all wet and the water is pooling on his long dark eyelashes, you actually melt! Wilson seems to be so free when playing in the water. He loves to "push" me (and me "push" him back) using "The Force" (yes, as in Star Wars). I never heard him laugh so hard as when we were playing this game. He'd thrust himself over and plop in the water, stand up and come and have his turn to push me, where I'd do the very same thing. Other times we would have a truce, and we'd hug and I would pick him up out of the water like he was a bride being carried over the threshold. I'd count: 1 -2 -3, and then throw (haha not so much throw as just let go... he's heavy!) him into the water. I think these were my favourite moments during this week as well.
Wednesday was slightly different. He started with refusing to depart the school bus, which required Kim and myself to march up the bus path to get him off. And after examining each of the 7 buses on the bus pad very closely to make sure they were ALL the same, we made it to the path to the main field and to the pavilion. But then he remembered the terra trek from last year. I had hid it earlier that morning before he arrived, behind the shed. I THOUGHT I did a good job at this. Once he remembered about it, he marched himself over to the shed to get it. Once he discovered it wasn't there, he left in a huff, punching the air and stomping away. One our way back to the pavilion (which is maybe 30 steps or so from the shed), he turned around, just to be sure it really wasn't there. I thought I had got out of it ("It" being a full out battle of powers to keep him away from the chair), but then.... he saw it. Someone had moved the chair to a new location behind the shed, but now the two front wheels were exposed, and Wilson saw them. *CUE BATTLE SCENE*. It was a bit vicious, and I must thank Kylie and Alicia for their help in restraining and calming him down! There was another moment on the golf car later in the afternoon, where I was preeeeeeetty much beat up with scratched on my wrist, a bite, and two stellar kicks to my leg. I want to say Wednesday's behaviour was triggered by the heat of that day, because Thursday and Friday were nothing like this, but instead replica's of Monday and Tuesday.
My Wednesday night made up for everything that happened at camp during the day.
Friday was beautiful. Wilson was in an amazing mood and he shared it with everyone. After canoeing (which was a really funny and interesting ride with Lindsay and I sitting in the front paddling in circles... literally), we sat on the dock a while and just splashed our feet in the lake. Wilson shared many hugs and kisses with me, and two slobbery face licks... LICKS. I am expecting to be ill next week, haha.
I let him push the chair for a half hour Friday afternoon. He definitely deserved it.
This was a week which surprised me the most. What I expected coming into it was not what I got, which is a very good thing.
I have talked to a lot of people in the special needs/ education field, about if they think it's possible to actually and truly love the kids they work with. Some have told me that they don't believe this, because the children are not their own, and they say goodbye at the end of the day leaving the relationship in that location. I HIGHLY disagree with this statement. I really actually truly love EVERY child I am afforded the privilege to work with. Wilson is such a beautiful child with a beautiful soul and so many talents and abilities. I love him very much.
Next week: Mona Lisa returns!
Kudos' of The Week:
1. To Kylie for helping me on several occasions with restraining and "races" to get Will out of the water
2. To Kim for also sustaining some injuries in Wilson management. You are one amazing boss (and friend!)!
3. To Rebecca for listening to Robert's crocodile tears AAAAAAALLLLLLLLL week!
4. To Alicia for getting through a rather unactive week with Abby
5. To Jon and John for putting HH on the Triathlon map!! We finally placed!
6. To whoever decided to give the pizza and watermelon to the staff and campers on Thursday... my lunch really sucked before the Roma giveaway.
P.S. I forgot to talk about the bit included in the title. Well, on Wednesday, Will REALLY wanted to be on my bus, the BlackBirds. He refused and refused to get on his Blue Buffalo's bus, so in a moment of enlightenment I ran to my bus, grabbed the sign, and put it on his bus. LIKE MAGIC ("Wilson, LOOK! You're a BlackBird too, we are the same!") he waltzed on to the bus! So it happened again on Thursday, and then on Friday, but only Friday he was desperate to be a Silver Shark. I have not determined yet whether or not this is in conjunction with Shark Week on Discovery Channel.
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