To say Holden has come a long way would be an understatement. Holden has been attending the Lockwood Clubhouse since he was a Kindergartner and even now as an incoming 3^rd grader, he still keeps us all on our toes.  His wild imagination, intelligence, and animated personality make for one unique kiddo!

When Holden first started coming to Club, he struggled with regulating his emotions, controlling his impulses, and making safe choices. We found out right away that even though Holden had his struggles, he was extremely intelligent and was not your typical Kindergartner. He never failed to let us know that he would someday be president and then he would make the rules.  Though he often had funny comebacks when talking to him about his choices, he struggled to see the bigger picture and take a step back.  Through many meetings with parents and trial and error on the staff’s part we were able to build a good relationship with Holden while also finding out what worked and didn’t work.

When the therapy dog program started at the Lockwood Clubhouse, we learned quickly that animals were the way to Holden’s heart. Holden immediately attached on to Baloo, the therapy dog.  He expressed that whenever he was mad, he could sit with Baloo to calm him down.  In the time spent with Baloo, Holden was able to learn about empathy, responsibility, and accountability.  Even when Holden didn’t need Baloo to help with his emotions, he was still there to make sure that not only was Baloo taken care of with a full water bowl and an occasional treat, but Holden also enforced the rules for having Baloo at Club.  When kids would crowd Baloo, Holden was the first one to make sure our Club pup wasn’t getting stressed or overwhelmed.

This summer Holden moved into the intermediate group and while we still had some concerns about how he would react to being in a group with older more mature kids we were happily surprised.   Holden has stepped up in many ways and has grown to be more patient and empathetic of the kids around him.  Holden has worked hard with the staff to build healthy coping strategies and to understand when his body is telling him he needs a break.

To this day Holden still plans on being the President of the United States and when asked what’s the first thing he will change his response is, “I will make it so everyone is nice to immigrants and people who are mean to dogs will go to jail.”  We look forward to seeing Holden in the Oval Office someday and know that he will be an amazing leader to the people around him!