Word Of The Week – Haven

This week our word of the week is

Ethan was awarded a Family Fund voucher for a Haven break so that we could break up the summer holidays a bit. Part of our keep Ethan busy plan.

We decided that we would visit Great Yarmouth as it is far enough from us to make us feel like we have gone away, but not too far to go in the car. Ethan is struggling with car journeys at the moment and we also don’t like to push our little car too far as she is getting a little old now.

I had lots of expectations for this week, I had visions of days on the beach and spending lots of time in the fresh air. Unfortunately the weather let us down and our plans went out of the window.

We also didn’t really pick the right caravan for our family, we should have got a three bedroom so that the children could have their own rooms. Not that I have any issues with them sharing a room but Ethan’s sleeping habits are terrible and he never sleeps through the night. This means we gave Ethan our room and we slept in the front room on a makeshift bed.

Ethan also had lots of meltdowns because he was out of routine, the worst one being when we couldn’t find a car parking space. He also wouldn’t eat his normal foods and it felt like we were always ready for a battle. Add that to a few bad nights of sleep and it wasn’t the relaxing holiday I was hoping for.

Ethan’s anxiety levels were also through the roof and he wouldn’t leave our sides to do anything. This also caused meltdowns because when you can’t squeeze into child size soft play area Ethan starts to get frustrated as he won’t go in there without support.

It wasn’t all bad we did have some lovely moments together. We had some meals out where Ethan had lots of fun running up and down the walkway ramp. Yes he may have got on a few people’s nerves but he was having fun and we didn’t have to run around with him for a few moments. Ethan loved the arcades and the rides on the pier. He and Little E also really loved the caravan and had lots of fun together running around.

This week has taught us that we do really need to plan all aspects of any time away from home. I always worried that I researched our days out too much but this week has proved me wrong. Research is the key for trips out with autism!