Well, I have a guest blogger and it's none other than...Austin's Daddy. I was feeling a little down upon receiving the results of Austin’s Occupational Therapy evaluation in the mail. I try to remain positive, I really do. But when negativity is put in front of me, it almost consumes me. In turn, I feel foolish for ever being “positive” in the first place. I know this evaluation was done by someone who met Austin that very day and has only spent an hour with him. I know I’m that stereotypical overly sensitive mom. However, I feel the overly negative wording COULD be changed. I’m not delusional, I know my son is delayed. And I expected delays. For now, I’m going to focus on what he IS doing. He does a lot of things well. He amazes me on a daily basis. I could go on and on…I just wish the therapists would take some time to recognize some of the things he does well, rather than putting most of their emphasis on the struggles. Don’t get me wrong, I want them to address what he struggles with. I just wish they’d remember that he has a family whom love and adore him. “Poor” and “Below Average” do not come to mind when we think of Austin.
Now, here’s a blog post from Austin’s Super Dad. Please note: I did not change any of the wording/spelling/grammar. (I kept my urge to edit
As written by Austin's "DaDa"...
Hey everyone, its an update from daddy! It has been quite an interesting last three months as most of you have heard by now. The upside to being home a lot has been how close Austin and I have gotten. Here lately, lil’ boy has been exploring boundaries. You know, throwing fits for no reason, crying randomly, and being a lil’ stinker at meal time. It really is just part of growing up though. For him as a child and us as parents.
Today we received a letter from Our Children’s House of Baylor. It was the results of Austin’s Occupational therapy evaluation. Some of the words they use to score it aren’t exactly inspiring. However, as his daddy, I just have to look at it in a manor that can be beneficial. A) This evaluation by no means defines who Austin is. A piece of paper could never be beautiful enough to define him. B) The use of words like ‘poor’ or whatever really don’t mean a lot. As I’ve said before, my job is to help Austin reach HIS potential. Whether or not he is inline with some scale of measurement couldn’t mean less to me. C) I look at this as nothing more than a starting line anyway. Not the finish line. Austin has responded so well to private therapy so far that my faith in the therapists is rock solid. The X factor in all of this, by the way, is that Austin has two hard headed parents…= he will do things when he’s damn good and ready.
For anyone who has met Austin, you know how special he is. He means everything to us. I cried once for the fact that he has down syndrome and that was the night we received the test results that confirmed it. However, I came a long way really quickly. I just cant see anything wrong with Austin. I even have trouble telling people that he has down syndrome sometimes ONLY because I cant stand the pity. Do love Austin because you just cant help it. Do work on your patience with him, as you should with all children. Do enjoy your time with him because, well, you just cant help that either. But don’t pity him. He’s not helpless. He’s so far from it in fact. He is actually a handful now that he’s mobile. He is very smart. You can see it in his eyes as he studies things, and as he works out problems. I’m beginning to ramble though, so I’ll try to keep some closing thought as short as possible. Sometimes we should just remember that as parents, down syndrome or not, raising a child is going to be such a challenge. But we’re also so incredibly lucky and privileged to be their parents. The joy they bring to our lives is beyond words. Hard and trying times are inevitable. But so is profound joy. Worry less about the hard times, because worry never heals. Just enjoy the angel(s). Cherish their little hugs and kisses. They’re the best.
This was an excellent post!
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