Some days I want to do “therapy” with my son like I want to I want to jump into wet cement and stand there until it dries. I had a made out of handmade rubber, material, and a frame of metal. This specially developed “jumping” machine can be torture - for all involved, especially if Addison wants nothing to do with it. I mean if someone built a big bouncy, bungee-like stanchion for me (or I imagine any adult), what fun we’d have! Imagine once a day, stepping into this contraption and swinging to and fro as the the stress melted off your back because it felt like you were dangling in a cradle. Addison on the other hand, would rather play with the utensil draw in the kitchen or read his Clifford books.

I set up a treadmill under the seat. The catch is that the treadmill is not electric. I have to sit on the floor and roll my hands against the rubber and one of the nannies has to sing non-stop with over-the-top enthusiasm, plus play peek-a-boo to get the child to move his legs instead of hang there like a possum. Like I said…..some days I’d choose the wet cement. The ten to twenty minutes on this machine doesn’t cut the whole mustard in Addison’s development. It’s valuable, but there’s roughly eleven more hours in this child’s day. I’m always looking for a chance to mix fun with therapy, so then, those days when I’m just too tired to do the bungee/torture machine, I feel O.K because there were a few activities along the line that got him moving.

Watching children’s cartoons is right up there with standing in cement. And I know, I know. All the studies say those fast paced commercials can damage brain development, but so can an overtired single mother who’s starting to argue with the stuffed bears. At 4 p.m., this show called High Five comes on. A few days a week, Addison watches it. He mimics the signs right along with the over-perky singers, and also stands a lot through the program because he’s having so much fun he forgets what he’s doing.

Then I remembered the Internet. I found a spot in the house where Addison could stand and focus upwards. I set the laptop on a table and found a song about the body on High Five, one of Addison’s favorite. He forgot where he was and moved his feet for almost one-half hour. This is a long time for him. It hurts learning to walk, plus it gets tiring really fast. He forgets all that and watches (without commercial interruption!) for as long as the connection is good. Who can resist this upbeat stuff? I mean it’s in a range everyone can sing, and it’s infectiously bouncy. Unlike that machine in the corner of our room, which calls out each day: Come! Swing with me! Do this! It’s good for you!