Okay, there is no such thing as a real escape plan. But I do have one in my head, and on challenging days I put it into full steam ahead. I know I would never really carry it out; I’m much too practical, dedicated, and faithful. But I don’t claim to be so practical, dedicated, and faithful that I don’t think about it!
Getting away for coffee or a trip out of town for a weekend for those of us caring for someone with special needs is really a luxury. And in particular I’m thinking of getting away with my husband—just the two of us. While our son Joey, age 38, is a great traveler and companion, there are a lot of limitations that slow us down, make us rethink our options, and sometimes have us ending our day long before we’d have liked. So, when my (Cindi’s) sister and our two daughters and sons-in-law offered to tag team care for Joey, we booked a trip almost on the spot. We made a plan for our escape!
Our luxury was getting away for eighteen days to eastern Europe. Meals were made for us. Luggage was lugged for us! Beds were made for us. Plans were planned for us. We can’t believe how wonderful those eighteen days were. We had to be creative with those twins beds; lots of European hotels have two twins instead of a queen or king, and even the ones you can put together can be a little uncomfy. But creative is the key word; this isn’t a complaint, just a fact!
Once we made our escape plans, I set into motion our packing procedure: passports, flights, and making sure Joey had all he needed for his time away. He thinks he only needs a stack of 24 VHS’s, Wii, CD’s, and PS4 games. I make sure he packs underwear.
Source: Special Needs Parenting- Key Ministry
