A great day- thank you Robbie!!

The other day Robbie,Lexi and I were invited to Chick Fil A with 2 friends of mine and their boys- who are Robbie's age. There is an indoor playground at this restaurant where the kids can run around as mothers sit to have actual conversations! The idea sounded wonderful but I had a lot of anxiety over how we'd do in this situation. First- Robbie can't eat 90% of the menu- what if he saw what the other kids had and got upset? I checked the website and was pleasantly surprised to see waffle fries, fruit cups and juice boxes!! I packed our Gluten free chicken nuggets and organic ketchup and prayed for a meltdown free afternoon.
At the restaurant the kids ate lunch and then went into the play area. Robbie was able to run freely- and had a blast. While he did not play with the other boys- he did acknowledge other kids, made some eye contact and seemed very content. The worst part of these situations seem to be the transition home. Robbie generally has a hard time leaving places once we've gotten comfortable. However on this day- I said time to get your socks and shoes on so we can go home. To my surprise he sat down ready to do what I had asked. For those who don't have children on the spectrum- you're probably thinking all kids have trouble leaving the playground. Why is this such a big deal? Most kids will bargain for 1 more turn but do not have total meltdowns. These meltdowns are hard to control and I end up holding Robbie tightly to avoid getting hit or kicked. Then there is the screaming and crying. Other people stare at you like you are a bad parent who can't control your child. To have a peaceful end to the lunch date was all I wished for. It was wonderful!