Back in December we took Jackson to a small monster truck show in Texas. He loves monster trucks and we thought it would be a great birthday present. We also wanted to see how he would do before buying tickets to the Monster Jam tour when it rolled through Oklahoma City in February.
The event was in a super small colosseum and the building was metal. The moment the trucks reeved their engines, Jackson went into fight/flight mode. It was so loud my insides were shaking. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I was secretly glad we got to leave. I’m pretty sure my parents were, too!
You’d think after that experience we’d learn our lesson; but sometimes special needs parents risk wasting money if it means making their kids happy and making a dream come true.
On Saturday, after talking to Jackson’s speech therapist about her experience at Monster Jam, we decided to buy tickets and give the show a try.
Why try again? Because my son is the biggest Monster Jam fan. He has all the trucks, he knows all their names and he watches them on TV all the time. As his mom, I wanted so desperately for him to experience the show. I was willing to pay $80 in hopes that it would happen.
And it did – sort of.
This time we doubled up on ear protection – ear plugs and headphones. We sat at the very top row of the event center. We talked to him and prepared him that the very beginning would be really loud. When the trucks fired up their engines, it was loud. I could tell Jackson was nervous and uncertain, but we kept reassuring him it would be worth it. He made it through all the trucks driving in circles and finally the noise level decreased.
For the next 30 minutes, he sat in wide-eyed wonder as he watched El Toro Loco, Grave Digger and the rest of the crew race around the track. He broke out into the biggest grin and gave his dad a high five when Grave Digger won his race. He proudly wore his new Monster Jam shirt.
When the lights went out after the first round of competition, Jackson decided it was time to go. I’m pretty sure he was afraid all the trucks were going to start their engines at the same time again. I could tell he didn’t want to be caught off guard by the noise.
We left 30 minutes into the show, but I consider our time at Monster Jam a success.
For 30 minutes Jackson got to enjoy Monster Jam and it was worth every penny of that $80!