お弁当と首からスケジュールと、ちょっとだけの沈黙
出発前日の変化に、成長を感じた夜
帰宅するなりテンションMAXのGENE。
「明日、お弁当作ってね！」と、お弁当箱を手渡してくれました。
カバンにつけていたスケジュールカードも、自分でちゃっかり修正。
バス→ 学校 → 放課後デイサービス → 家
母と学校 → 学校 → バス → 学校→ 母のお迎え
お迎えの段取り、ちゃんと伝わってる…のかも？
どこまでわかってるかは不明だけど、
「最後に母がお迎えに来る」
ことは、彼なりに理解している様子でした。
当日の朝、1時間早く起きたGENEの“準備万端”
当日は、いつもより1時間早く起きて、
わたしをキッチンまで連れていきました。
「お弁当、ちゃんと作って」と言わんばかりに。
母だけでなく、「父も起こしてきて」と伝えたら、
GENEなりの解釈で、ちゃんと父を起こしに行ってくれました（笑）
言葉を理解しているというより、
状況の流れと“たぶんこういう時にはこう言う”を理解している。
まさに、頭フル回転ですごいなと。
学校では首から下げるスケジュールカード
先生が、GENE専用の首から下げるスケジュールカードを
作ってくださっていました。
もちろん、紙のしっかりしたスケジュール表もあるけれど、
首から常に見られる形で用意してくれた心遣いが、嬉しかった。
GENEはそれを手に取り、1枚1枚確認。
出発前、緊張していたのか、静かにじっとしていて…
楽しみなはずなのに、いつもと違う雰囲気を感じていたのかもしれません。
バスの座席と、GPSでの見守り
バスが到着すると、嬉しそうに乗り込むGENE。
でも、座席は“練りに練られた配置”なのに、
案の定、みんな好きなところに座っちゃう（笑）
先生たちは慌てながらも、
それぞれみんなを本来の席に誘導してくれました。
感謝しかありません。
わたしはその後、GPSでバスの動きをチェック。
「サービスエリアでどうやってトイレ行くのかな…？」
なんて心配してたけど、
無事に目的地まで着いたようで一安心。
愛用のGPSはこちらです。
お弁当、食べたかな？暑さとともに
なんとこの日、中津川は36度越えの真夏日。
しかも、クマの目撃情報まで…！（まさかすぎる）
そんな中でも、みんなでお出かけするということを楽しみにできたGENE。
それが、なによりの成長だと感じた一日でした。
Departure Day: GENE’s Big Trip Begins
A Lunchbox, a Neck Schedule, and a Quiet Smile
The night before, and a quiet sign of growth
As soon as GENE came home the night before, he was full of energy.
He handed me his lunchbox and said (in his way), “Please make lunch for tomorrow.”
He even updated his schedule card on his own.
From:
Bus → School → Daycare pickup → Daycare → Home
To:
Car with Mom → School → Bus → School → Pickup by Mom
Maybe it was his way of making sure I’d be there to pick him up?
We never know how much he understands, but he clearly knew one thing:
We were going on a special trip, and Mom would be there at the end.
An early start, and a mission for Mom
On the morning of the trip, he woke up a full hour earlier than usual.
Then he led me to the kitchen — clearly wanting me to start making lunch.
I asked him to go wake up Dad too, and off he went, mission accepted.
He might not understand every word,
but in situations like this, he knows what’s expected.
That kind of understanding — beyond language — really shows how his brain is firing on all cylinders. So amazing.
A thoughtful card, worn with quiet confidence
When we arrived at school, GENE’s teacher handed him a custom-made neck schedule card.
Of course, they also had a full paper schedule with pictures,
but this one hung from his neck — always within reach.
GENE examined each card carefully, one by one.
Even though he was excited about the trip, he stayed completely silent.
Maybe he was nervous.
Maybe he was surprised to see all the moms and dads there, not just teachers.
We’ll never know exactly — but he was quiet, calm, and focused.
Seat assignments, and a mother’s digital window
When the bus arrived, GENE happily climbed on board.
Of course… he sat wherever he wanted, not in his assigned seat 😅
The teachers gently guided him to the correct spot.
Each seat was carefully chosen — the result of deep planning
so that everyone could have a smooth ride.
I couldn’t be there, but I had GPS — my little window into his journey.
I watched as the bus stopped at a service area,
wondering how they’d handle all the kids for bathroom time…
But they made it, and safely reached the destination.
Lunch and summer heat, and a quiet wish
That day, it hit over 36°C (96.8°F) in Nakatsugawa.
And yes — there were even bear sightings in the area.
Seriously.
Still, all I could think was:
I hope he ate his lunch.
I hope he’s having fun.
And I hope he knows how proud we are.
Because no matter how hot, how new, how uncertain —
the fact that he was excited to go on this trip…
That alone was a beautiful sign of growth.
