Sometimes I wonder what is fair for my child in terms of explaining his disability. Should I just tell people? Or should I just let him be who is, and then let them wonder? Part of me wants to do both, but usually I just inevitably say nothing and hope for the best. I'm way past making excuses for his behavior, and I have the luxury of doing so because he is still a young child. Not that I'm fearful for the future (Well, obviously I am a tiny bit. I doubt that you'd find any parent who isn't at least a little fearful.), but I know that there will be a time in our future where people will start to notice that he's a bit different. People do notice now, of course, but most people can't quite put their finger on it since his language skills have progressed so nicely. So I never really know what the best answer is when we meet new people. I'm always thinking in my heart that the best answer is that he's special, but that has such a bad connotation because people use that to mean "slow." Benjamin is most emphatically not slow. Neurotypical learning impaired, yes. Slow, no. Special? Most definitely.
(as I'm being backwards bear-hugged)
18 years, a letter to Fred
9 years ago
1 comment:
people like Benjamin see the world in a different way & have such great creativity and input (if the world will let them) into ideas and changes that could take place. It's exciting to see you embrace him & love him for it all! With C, I usually tell people partially because he's older and already has such a difficult time, I can make it easier for him, by helping people understand him better, but I don't feel (anymore) like I need to apologize for him b/c his "issues" make him a total package and are part of what make him great .... as in all of us, some of our greatest strengths are also our greatest weakness. Good luck as you navigate the future with all the difficult choices ahead. Give yourself grace and room to change your mind if you think it's right for your son. :) You're a great Mom.
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