There are several steps of my involvement with Sam when it comes to him starting with a new support group.
Step One is that I go in with him for the first couple (or more) gatherings.
Step Two is I go in with him - then pull further into the background as he seems more and more comfortable (while staying within his sight).
Step Three is I walk him in, then, before leaving, promise him that I'll be close by and if he needs me, he can call or text me and I'll be right over. Sometimes this means waiting outside the door, sometimes it means I'll be just down the street.
And Step Four is I walk him in and tell him I'm leaving (this after prepping him in the intervening week(s)) - and that if he needs me, he can call or text me - but he will have to wait ten-or-more minutes before I can get there.
The goal is for me to not be involved at all in his activities (unless it's a family-type thing). It's not that I don't thoroughly enjoy being with Sam. I do. But the idea is to help Sam be independent, to build his confidence, to meet new friends, to create and expand his own social and support network - not only for today but for when the time comes that I can no longer be around.
I'm happy to say that, generally speaking, we reach Step Four a little more quickly than we did several years ago.
What brings this up is that in recent weeks, Sam has started with another support group (currently one of three). The pictures below are relevant to nothing in particular but were taken while I was on a walk, alone, killing time during Step Three of Sam spending time with this new group.
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