Dear Addie,
Lights, Camera, Action...We did it! For the first time ever, we got through a whole movie at the theater! HUGE accomplishment! With all the excitement of this new milestone, I decided to snap a few pictures on my iPhone. I know, although it must seem like we do, we don't always have a photographer following us around and I really wanted to share this special experience so my iPhone got the job done
***These are the actual pictures you're seeing :). (Side note: I have a new appreciation for photographers! It's no easy task!)
This week our adventures brought us to the Cinebowl in Cary, NC where they were showing a "Sensory Friendly" viewing of the new movie SING. This was a very new experience for us and it was great! Now I should clarify, the movies in general are not exactly new for us...that's actually kind of an old scene that would go like so...
*Buy everyone tickets and snacks...yay!
*Get settled into our seats...ah relaxing :)
*Make it through most of the previews - perhaps 10-20 mins of the movie before your vocal noises and stimming would actually just become disruptive to other movie goers...ugh! That sweetie is our cue to head out and wander the theater lobby or sit in the car until the rest of our family was done with the show.
Every movie experience was the same. Rinse, wash, repeat.
Theaters are a place where people are meant to be quiet...no offense, but that's not exactly your speciality my dear.
Theaters are a place where people are meant to be quiet...no offense, but that's not exactly your specialty my dear. Theaters are a place where people are meant to be quiet...no offense, but that's not exactly your speciality my dear.
We had heard a lot about these "Sensory Friendly" showings, but were just never able to work it into the schedule. They are generally done at earlier times within the theater hours (or sometimes before it's open to the general public), which isn't always the most convenient for our family. But this week my love it worked out...So, like we often do, we packed up the crew and gave it a whirl. It was awesome!
Why was it so awesome?!
Well, the traditional settings for theaters can be quite over stimulating when you think about it. It's all about really "feeling" the experience right?!? The surround sound gets more advanced and louder just about every year, which adds extra awesomeness to movies such as Star Wars or Jurassic Park, but for you that's just one new advancement in movie viewing that finds you unable to focus on the actual movie. Headphones? - sure that could be an option, but you're not so interested and even if that worked the pitch black and bright screen contrast is sometimes a struggle to adjust to.
"Sensory Friendly" viewings are showings where you're allowed to be yourself, get up walk around, dance, jump, make noises, take an iPad break, the lights stay on and the volume is turned down. It's all about YOUR comfort! And showing newer popular movies means it's all about bringing the excitement of going to the show, back to our family!
Even with all these accommodations, there were still times that particular sounds bothered you, but not a single person stared at you as you were working through it. I simply can't tell you how comforting just that was alone.
The Great Dr. Suess once wrote, "Today you are you. That is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you!" I'm thankful for these days when you are free to just be you, because YOU are truly amazing!
Congrats Addie! That was super fun!
I love you!
Love,
Mom
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