Successes

I hate that I don’t feel like I can share our successes the way other parents do. For example, Andrielle has been working with her physical therapist since January on walking up and down the stairs. Just this week, she started walking up and down them on her own without anyone holding her hand. For us that is HUGE! It’s taken us over 9 months to get here. But I didn’t feel like I could shout it out on Facebook like other moms do when their kids do something amazing (like potty training). I feel like if I shared our news, other people wouldn’t understand and that big success would be belittled. I don’t want other people’s pity or judgment.

I guess that’s why I’m really lucky to have the Kids Who Count playgroup to go to. I feel like I can share anything and they understand and are excited for us, too. I love having a place that Andrielle and I can go together where we aren’t so judged. The moms there understand the things we’re going through because they are going through them, too.

Andrielle’s successes might be different that other kids her age, but that doesn’t make them any less impressive or meaningful or great. It’s just different. Someday, I hope she will catch up to her peers and she will have the same successes as them at the same times as them. But for now I’m trying to remember to be grateful for the things she is doing, because she is pretty darn awesome.