The child you have right now is not the child you will have forever.
You can also say the hard that you have now right now is not the hard you will have forever.
Years ago, when my son was 4 and 5, and autism was new, we were really struggling. This sweet boy couldn’t communicate. He didn’t feel well. He had anxiety and adhd that seemed to consume him. We couldn’t leave the house. We didn’t sleep. We didn’t stop moving. We quite literally never stood still. The level of alertness we needed 24 hours a day was eating us up.
And I remember thinking, I can’t do this forever. And it scared me. I wanted to be super mom. I wanted to be able to do it all and be it all and fix it all. But it wasn’t that easy.
Flash forward. Years later.
We figured out so much. Happiness being the top priority. Along with communication and health.
On Friday, we attended a United Dance together. It was for kids with disabilities. As we stood there I had this overwhelming feeling…we made it.
Together. Him. Me. Our whole family. We made it.
Finally. We found a little bit of peace.
And you are not sure how you can do this forever.
You will. The hard you have right now will change. It will evolve. You will get stronger and your amazing child will grow. My son is doing things I never thought possible.
All we needed was time, patience and hope.
At the dance he sat by a friend from school. He invited three high school senior girls to his pool party. He danced to the Cha Cha Slide. He slow danced with me.
We are getting to the good stuff over here. And it’s amazing.
Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook.
