Amusement rides, arcades and climbing mazes are virtually a rite of passage for children these days. most children can boast having partaken in at least one of these activities. special needs children are no different so on a recent sunday i loaded yossi in the car and we headed to Funstation- our local amusement venue.
i called ahead to ask a few questions because we'd never been before- i got sweet clear responses and i was grateful to hear that the place wasnt so full. still i was in trouble the moment yossi spied all the flashing lights. he was off running and crawling in all directions while i tried to understand the packages for purchase and the 2 different token machines one for rides and one for arcades.
the lady at the front desk (incidentally she was a manager) immediately jumped in giving me an unlimited wristband and tokens . she told me to go around and try out the different attractions, see what yossi was able to do, and square away my bill at the end.
grateful for her thoughtfulness i accepted the wristband and off we went stress free to enjoy a fun day out. yossi had a great time exploring and i had a wonderful time just focusing on him. after riding the helicopter for the 5th time in a row i was starting to get dizzy and id had quite enough of the noise and the lights so we returned to the front to pay. as i approached the counter the manager told me "this one is on us" to which i replied "im happy to pay" and she then said "he has a big smile, seems like he had a good time, now you'll know which rides he likes and you can come back again to play"
I had to turn away as i started to cry. i was totally surprised and overcome with emotion. i wasnt expecting a free pass. i was expecting to tire yossi out so he would sit long enough for me to pay (we came without the stroller). her offer to pay at the end made so much sense because as yossi gets bigger not all things are practical for him to do. i was amazed at how naturally she accommodated us and at her kind gesture. you can bet we will go there again!
as yossi gets older we are more limited and i always have the worry of the future on my mind. im encouraged to know that there are people who care and see my child to be just like any other. and im overwhelmed and thankful for those people who go out of the way to help yossi enjoy his childhood.
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