My Mom got this whirligig yard thing. (Sorry if there’s a real name for this item, I don’t know it.) But it’s a thing that spins in the wind, or if you push it. And it has two separate spinning parts.
Generally speaking, I’m not usually a fan of lawn ornaments. There are the rare few things that I like, but mostly I don’t care for lawn ornament type stuff.
But I think this is pretty!
My older daughter, Emma (lover of all things pretty), fell in love with it instantly. And my Mom, told Emma she could have it. So now it’s at our house.
Why am I writing about this here you say?
Because Ella is completely fascinated by it. She loves to stand in front of it and spin it. Her only disappointment is that we won’t let her pull the stake up and walk around with it. But she had so much fun with it today!
I know there are parents out there that get really frustrated with the autism trait of spinning things. I’ve heard many parents complain about it. And maybe if she’s much older and excessively spins things, maybe I won’t like it then either. But right now I love it.
Did I just say love it?
Yes.
Why?
Because I remember when she did nothing. I remember the worst days. When most of the normalcy of her life had disappeared and she did nothing. She didn’t look at us, or much of anything else. The only thing she “did” was cry when hungry and that’s about it. She picked up nothing. She played with nothing. She spun nothing. She’s come so far since then.
For her, being interested in something enough to spin it, is a very good thing. I’m so happy that she can enjoy toys again. She may not enjoy them in the most “typical” of ways. But so what? She’s almost 3 years old, and it makes her happy!
Would I let her sit and spin something all day? No way.
But for a little bit, to calm herself, or just to experience something she enjoys, or something that lowers her stress level?
Absolutely!
