Smile Log 114: No Dead End to Smiles

My son likes rock music. He pretty much always has. I'm talking Linkin Park, The Who, Faith No More... In first grade, he expressed his displeasure with music class. "We sang Skinnamarinky Dinky Dink! I don't want to sing that!! I want to sing rock and roll!!" Honestly, I didn't blame him for his contentment. I'd want to skinnamarink someone's dinky dink if I had to sing that atrocity repeatedly. 

A local band of high schoolers called Dead End were playing in town and I thought it would be a good opportunity to let the kids check them out. Well, my daughter said she'd prefer to stay home as it would hurt her precious little ears (her words, not mine), so it was just me and my little rocker. 

I wasn't sure how well my son would receive the noise level and crowd of the bar. Would he become overwhelmed and lose control of his body? Would he withdraw into a doe eyed silence? Or would he be just fine? Throw in the fact that he's on his ADHD medication and you have to accept the possibility that he could become upset and weepy over any little thing. That's the trouble with sensory issues, overstimulation is life altering... and a bit of a bitch (pardon my french). So what would it be tonight?...

He definitely seemed a little withdrawn in the beginning, but I told him we could easily leave at any time and he certainly seemed to perk up more as the evening went on. Despite the smiles he flashed at me, I wasn't sure if he was actually enjoying the event though. We talked about the songs being played, about the decorations on the bar shelves and after an hour, he gave the word. "Leave." I guess he wasn't actually enjoying himself after all. While disappointing, I was glad that I tried. 

Once we were buttoned up and out the door, and I mean the second we were outside, he exclaimed "That was awesome!" 

Hey, that's a success and that's a smile that I can rock, even while I'm trying to get Nirvana out of my head!