Children grow up fast

Recently I have realized just how fast children grow up. My sweet daughter, Emma, is almost nine years old in 3rd grade. She's changing so much, depending on us a little less every day. Pretty soon she'll trade in those baby dolls she's loved so much for gadgets like I-pods and cell phones. That will be a sad day, but so is the natural progression of childhood. We have her here for about ten more years before she'll be going off to college...I only pray we have taught her all she needs to know by then. I want so much for her, most of all I just want her to be happy.

My sweet boy, Adam is now six years old...how is that possible? He's getting so big, yet he remains so vulnerable all the same. He depends on us almost as much now as he did when he was just a baby. Some people who really don't know us may call that a burden, we do not. He is the sweetest, most angelic child I've ever known. He is so lovable and innocent - just this afternoon I was holding him for a bit after lunch and he laid his little head on my shoulder and just kept it there. I cherished that moment, perhaps a little longer than I should've (for there was much to do around the house)...but instead I soaked it up. See when you have such a medically fragile child you can't help but wonder if you'll have this chance again. Thus we soak up every bit of him, every day. Something all parents should do with their children, but life gets in the way. Adam has made our life slow down...we take that time that otherwise we may not. Yes, that's just one more way I've been changed by a child.

Two friends of ours we've known for the past five years are expecting a baby early next year. Of course we are happy for them. This will be their second and last child. Yesterday they had the ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. The wife was telling me how it went, she said her husband was so nervous before the ultrasound because he was worried something might be 'wrong' with the baby. Once he realized all the arms, legs and body parts were there he was relieved. This is a event not so unlike what most parents experience during those ultrasounds...if you've heard it once you've heard it a thousand times: "Does he have all his fingers, all his toes?" Now I think really, would your life be so devastated if your child was missing a finger? missing a toe? From my unique vantage point that would be just a minor inconvenience. Has knowing us made them nervous? Here we are your 'All-American' family of 4 raising a disabled, wheelchair bound child - is the portrait of our life what they would never want? Do they ever stop to realize we have a good life, we love our son...just as much (maybe even more) than we would if he were 'normal?'

Raising a child with significant special needs changes ones perspective about all sorts of things. Most of all I see people as being naive, thinking something like this would never happen to them. The truth is there are couples all across this world from every walk of life raising children with special needs. I would imagine not many of us could've seen our life turning out quite this way. But I would also venture to say quite a few of us feel like it's blessed our lives more than we could've ever imagined.

There's not much I can do about other people's perceptions, they will think what they think. As for me I am thankful I have been 'changed by a child.'