clowns

I have to say, I really think that even though Johnny has only been to 2 sessions so far, his new Art Therapy appointments have been going really well and have been helpful. The other day, Johnny had his appointment right before we were leaving town to go to the circus in Altoona with my mom and step-dad. Johnny was really anxious about going, and he was convinced that the clowns would be too scary. We talked about it during his therapy session, and his therapist explained that whenever he didn't want to see them, all he had to do was close his eyes or turn away. She told him that they are normal people who are just dressed up silly, and that it is okay if he doesn't like them.

Come time for the circus, Johnny still seemed a little anxious. The circus was at the Jaffa Shrine, (Masons) and my step-dad Chris belongs to the fraternity. Both Pappy Chris and Grammy knew all of the guys dressed up as clowns, and one of them had said that he wanted to meet Chris' grandson. We took Johnny on down to the floor and over to their friend, and at first Johnny was really shy and turned away. When Grammy explained that she knew that clown and that they are friends, Johnny warmed up a little. Then the clown pulled out an extra red nose to give to Johnny. The smile that lit up his face was amazing! I couldn't be more proud of how he ended up handling the situation, and afterward he repeatedly informed us that clowns "aren't really scary" and that some of them are even "cool".

The little steps forward keep me grounded in the middle of all of this chaos.