"But what about those?" is a question I seem to ask a lot. About a lot of different scenarios, about different people groups, about different things. Today, I want to write a blog "about those," in regards to something that's been on my heart the past few days. Now before digging in, please hear me out. I love the 4th of July. In fact, please see last post here about that. I also like fireworks. I'm not saying they are terrible, evil, wrong or anything of the sort. This is just another perspective on fireworks after some of my life experiences.
As you know, we recently celebrated the 4th of July. A holiday filled with freedom, stars, stripes, red, white and blue, "America the Beautiful", cook outs, you know the drill....and fireworks. Growing up, I used to love fireworks. They were so fun and pretty. There was that one time we had to hose off a neighbors roof, but I digress....I've never had a problem with fireworks. Now, I'm not one whose been over the moon, way into them either, but I haven't had a problem with them. Still don't, for the record.
Our daughter has sensory processing disorder {SPD}. Some of you may know what that is, some of you may not. Let me quickly explain. There are 2 types - avoiders or seekers. Obviously, avoiders avoid what they are fearful of, sensory wise and seekers seek out what stimulates them, sensory wise. So in looking at the 5 senses, we have: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Lauren, our daughter, is a sound avoider. Loud noises startle her, scare her, send her into meltdowns {not tantrums, there's a difference there} and just really really impact her in a negative way. Thankfully, we have changed her nutrition, added some supplements to her diet, do chiropractic care regularly and have done OT. Those have been life changing for her! In fact, so much so, sometimes we forget about the SPD. If you have questions about this, let me know. Love to share more of what we've done and what has helped her. We forget about it until somethings like haircuts, storms and.....fireworks.
I posted on facebook the other day asking if other friends children slept through fireworks or if they woke them up. A few people commented things like "you should take them," "don't they watch fireworks?," etc. I know there was no ill intent behind the question and yes, if Lauren wasn't sensitive to sounds, we probably would take her. But, she is and so we don't. When your child is wincing every time a neighbor shoots off fireworks, you know a live firework display isn't the best place for them to be. So, it made me think "what about those who aren't ok with fireworks?" Obviously, those with SPD came to mind, but what about our veterans who have combat related PTSD? {Yes, I do have PTSD, but it's not related to combat, therefore, the fireworks don't bother me, But I see how they could impact someone who just came back from war.} Isn't it interesting that we celebrate our country's freedom that so many risk their lives for by doing something that could negatively impact them? Just something that came to mind after looking at various facebook posts. Some people may not have combat related PTSD or children with SPD, but what about pets? Who else would be affected by fireworks?
Again, I'm not saying fireworks are bad, they should be outlawed, or anything like that, just thinking of ways to make them more enjoyable for those who are negatively affected by them. Any thoughts? Thanks for letting me put this out there. Would love to hear any insights or thoughts you have on this.
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