Don't Be Jealous... It's Just a Loaner

Why, yes, that is a shopping cart in the middle of my driveway.

What? You haven't heard? All the cool moms have one.

It definitely pays to have parents who are garage sale addicts.

I just happened to mention my newest dilemma to my mom the other day and she said to come on over, go to their garage and pick up Noah's newest method of transportation.

Confused? Let me explain....

A few days ago, I found myself face down on a massage table while a cute, young chiropractor went to work trying to realign my back.

That's right. I threw my back out.

By yawning.

I kid you not.

I yawned, stretched up, leaned back... and "Ooooh! Ouch! Oh my gosh!"

And the rest is chiropractic history.

Basically, the chiropractor told me that I can't lift Noah anymore. He assured me that it wasn't the simple yawn that threw my back out (thank goodness that I'm not that feeble).. but a mild dose of scoliosis coupled with nearly 7 years of hoisting a kid on my hip that did it.

In the words of Winnie the Pooh... "Oh, bother!"

What am I going to do now??

I think this is the dilemma of many a mom who has a child with special needs. Noah can walk. But having him walk next to me in public is next to impossible. For one thing, he's strong. He can pull away and run. He's a runner. The one time I decided to hold his hand and walk through the parking lot of Walmart (instead of pushing him in a buggy), he broke free, took off, and was thisclose to getting hit by a car.

I still panic thinking about it.

But besides running, Noah also likes to lay down and roll around. And sometimes he'll just refuse to budge. A bit like a dog that knows it's about to get a bath. He just firmly sits down on the floor and becomes dead weight.

So, take that + 2 hyperactive younger siblings and it makes a trip to Walmart a panic-inducing, heart palpitating, Advil-taking trip.

Which is why Noah rides in a buggy.

But, here's the thing. Do you remember what it's like to lift a child into a buggy seat? You have to lift them all the way up so that they're practically standing in the seat - and then they slide their feet down. Same way to get them out. You have to lift them all the way up so that they're standing and then lift them down to the floor.

Try doing it with a 7 year old.

Anyway, a friend told me that you can reach in and lift the buggy open and have your kid crawl through the buggy that way. But Noah refuses to do it. Although he understands what we say to him, his body rarely cooperates and he just can't do it.

That's why he can walk, but he can't get in and out of the bathtub, in and out of a carseat, or do most basic lifeskills.

So here's where the shopping cart comes in.. I have to start looking ahead. Noah isn't going to stay 7 forever. Someday he's going to be 12 and then 17 and then 25 and then 35... and, oh my gosh, I'm gonna cry. But it's true. I have to look ahead. I am doing him no favors by doing everything for him. He has to start learning how to do things.

He will always be my baby, but he won't always be a baby. And there's no way I can lift a 45 year old man into the back of a shopping cart.

So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to take that buggy pictured above and Noah and I are going to daily practice having him push it around. First, it will be the driveway - and then we'll take it around the neighborhood and then, once he starts associating the buggy with pushing, we'll try it at Walmart.

I'm trying not to think about the neighbors as they see us going down the street pushing an empty shopping trolley. As most of you know, they already think we're a bit odd.

Heehee.

And after Noah masters pushing the trolley, then we can work on having him walk beside me while I push it. Granted, it will be a lot different when he's in the store and has to deal with sensory overload - fluorescent lights, noise, people, etc - but practicing at home will at least get him familiar with his new job as Mommy's Big Helper.

And, that, my friends is the story of the shopping cart.

Like, I said. Don't be jealous. I'm sure my mom would be happy to rent it out to those of you who would also like a taste of the latest parenting accessory.

And if you have a neighbor that you want to bother... just park it in the grass on your front lawn. Oh, and don't mow for a weeks, either. Works like a charm every time.