Are there things in your children's life that you feel have dramatically changed things for the better? Sort of a shot-it-from-the-rooftops better?
Since my 19 year old son left today for the Army, I was reflecting on both his past and my other children's past. I realized that there have been momentous days in each of their lives - moments that I believe really changed the course of their lives for the better.
For Corey, my 19 year old, making the decision to join JROTC in the 9th grade was his moment. Corey as you know if you are a long time reader of this blog, had an early childhood that was difficult to say the least. Raised for the first 10 years of his life on the streets of Baltimore by an alcoholic, drug addicted birth mother took its toll on him. But the love of family (he joined me at age 12) and the order and consistency of JROTC really prepared him for a future that will be bright.
For Ashley, I believe the moment that set her life on a better course was when she got her G-tube at age 2. Born at 26 weeks gestation to an alcoholic birth mother, and facing a ton of medical issues, she was headed down a very difficult health path. But the G-tube allowed everyone to relax and work on feeding issues as well as the rest of her medical issues. I truly believe that her good health today was defined at that moment of surgery.
For Jessica, her moment came in middle school. Prior to that time, Jessica had battled rages and the inability to attach to anyone, least of all me. But in middle school, her teacher and the rest of the school staff finally joined forces with me to prove to Jessica that she could trust and love and attach. Though she still has demons to battle, I believe that she will do so knowing that she is loved.
And finally for Ronnie, his life changed drastically when he got an IPhone. I know, I know - that doesn't sound like that big a deal. But what that phone did was to open his world to his peers. In a world where not a lot of teenagers know sign language, he is now able to communicate via text with all his peers. And for those peers that do sign, he is able to use the phone as a video phone and sign back and forth with a peer. His world opened up that day he got the phone, and it continues to get larger with each passing day. His communication abilities, his literacy, and his technical knowlege is growing by leaps and bounds.
What about your children? Have there been defining days in their lives? I would love to hear about them!
For the Blue Jay, I would have to think it was when she started the ketogenic diet at age 4. Up until then, nothing had touched her seizures and they caused her severe regression. The diet gave her ... well, really, it gave her a life and a chance to wean the drugs and actually start learning. She had been on drugs since she was 13 months old - when she was finally weaned off them at age 5, I found that I had never really known my child. And even though she is back on a new seizure med now (with great success - knock on wood!), it was the diet that broke that vicious cycle.
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