An Old Friend, the Water

Since Nixon was a tiny baby, he has been drawn to the water. We would put him in the tub, and he would kick his legs as fast as he could. We were surprised by his ability to move so quickly at such a young age. When his language began to develop, we got the most words out of him when he was in the bath, pool, or water activity.

If he is having a tough week, a swim in our favorite creek has a magical ability to reset him. You can see the physical change in his body, his stress fades and words start to form again.

His love of water can create challenges, for instance, when there is a pond at the bottom of the stairs into his ABA center or a water feature in our local library that only has a tiny rope as a deterrent to climbing in.

But as autism parents often do, we embrace these challenges so we can also have complete and utter moments of joy.

There are no unspoken restrictions.

He is in his element, body floating, throwing rocks, and pushing his long dark hair out of his face. His face softens as if he has met an old friend to catch up on life. I hope he never loses this old friend and the comfort it brings him, that he can always return to the water to find his place.

When Nixon is swimming, especially in nature, he is free.

© 2020, Tabitha Cabrera. All rights reserved.