The Diminishing Bags #SSAmazingAchievements

It was D’s 10th birthday yesterday and we had a look through some old photos after school, in between presents, cards and cake!

She especially loved seeing her old baby pictures, the ones with her and T have prompted most conversation. There was 18 months between them so I guess neither of them can remember a time when the other wasn’t around. Hubbie and I used to call them “The Pack”, I would always have two little scamps close behind me – once both fully mobile of course.

When D was in mainstream education, she found it challenging, both from a sensory and anxiety viewpoint. She always used to carry a little bag around with her and it would be absolutely full of playmobil figures, bits of ribbon, acorns, kinder egg inserts to name but a few. They, along with Bunny and Blankie, were her calming tools, some days she’d want to take three bags with her and her bags were regularly featured in the Educational Psychologist’s reports. He’d never suggest taking them away (thank goodness!) but he observed the purpose they served, they made her feel calmer.

We found a couple of pictures from her mainstream days, one from one of the rare occasions she was able to “tolerate” a classroom environment and the other when she couldn’t and was having some outdoor time with her then TA:

Once she moved to SN school, the reliance on the bags full of “small things” diminished and we got to the point where she’d need the bag for the school run and then hand it to me to look after until I collected her (and brought it back). This was a pretty major step and another indication to us that we’d definitely made the right choice of setting for D.

She’s progressed to such an extent that she’s accompanied by one item on the way to school now, Bunny!

Good old Bunny, looking a little bit worn now (after all, Bunny is 10 years old now too) but still very, very loved. We get to the tree outside school and it’s now part of our routine that Bunny is placed in the front zip pocket of her school bag, with just her head and ears showing!!

And that’s where Bunny stays until hometime, after I’ve had a “Mumma!”, a run up and a body slam, D will retrieve Bunny and then we’ll hed off to meet T and home.

An amazing achievement that’s just kind of crept up unnoticed for us, but a brilliant one. I’m linking this up with SSAmazingAchievements over at @EthansEscapades.

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