The B Word
Now that we are in the homestretch with the adoption of Little Man and going through the process of getting him set up with SSI and disability services, I get a lot of emails and phone calls. Most of the time, it's just me being copied on correspondence between agencies. And most of the time, it's stuff over my head but I appreciate being kept in the loop.
There has been a lot of terminologies being applied to Little Man. Some of them I have heard before, some are new. There are some that are not news to me but some that are. And then there are those that rankle me. Get my blood boiling.
The one that got me this morning was the B word. Little Man was described as being a burden. He was being approved for services because he was going to be a burden on me and on society. And I saw RED...
My child is not a burden. He will never be a burden. He's a lot of things but never a burden.
He is a blessing. He made me a mom and learn things about myself that I never knew. He blessed me with the knowledge of unconditional love and what it means to give and give until there is nothing left but still find more to give.
He is bright. He knows things that surprise me every day. He can tell you the name of the shapes that I have to use Google for to verify he's right. I've stopped looking them up!
He's blossoming. He talks to people, he asks them questions, he dances when he hears certain songs, he runs, jumps, and takes risks that make my heart stop. He's trying new things, he's asking bigger questions about life, he's taking more in.
He's a butthead. He is wanting more independence, he wants to do things without help but also with a lot more attitude. He argues with me about things and drives me nuts. Normal, 8-year-old behaviors.
He's getting big. He is literally growing taller and gaining more weight every week. For a kid that was so narrow on his view of what food he was willing to try to become one that will eat more and try more... it means it helps him grow big and strong.
He's bossy. This one is a hard one for me because I'm considered bossy too. And I'm never sure if he is picking up on it from me or because of his OCD/Autism? Who knows but I've seen him give criticism to adults or correct their actions.
He is bighearted. I've seen him hold doors open for strangers, he helps at church, he gravitates towards animals and shows them so much love. He can tell when I need a hug and will provide me comfort.
My Little Man is brave. While I constantly tell people how awesome he is, I secretly know he doesn't understand that he is different. He understands some things but not everything. And to go into the world not knowing but still going anyway, that is brave to me.
So Little Man is a lot of things that start with the letter B, but burden is NOT one of them.
There has been a lot of terminologies being applied to Little Man. Some of them I have heard before, some are new. There are some that are not news to me but some that are. And then there are those that rankle me. Get my blood boiling.
The one that got me this morning was the B word. Little Man was described as being a burden. He was being approved for services because he was going to be a burden on me and on society. And I saw RED...
My child is not a burden. He will never be a burden. He's a lot of things but never a burden.
He is a blessing. He made me a mom and learn things about myself that I never knew. He blessed me with the knowledge of unconditional love and what it means to give and give until there is nothing left but still find more to give.
He is bright. He knows things that surprise me every day. He can tell you the name of the shapes that I have to use Google for to verify he's right. I've stopped looking them up!
He's blossoming. He talks to people, he asks them questions, he dances when he hears certain songs, he runs, jumps, and takes risks that make my heart stop. He's trying new things, he's asking bigger questions about life, he's taking more in.
He's a butthead. He is wanting more independence, he wants to do things without help but also with a lot more attitude. He argues with me about things and drives me nuts. Normal, 8-year-old behaviors.
He's getting big. He is literally growing taller and gaining more weight every week. For a kid that was so narrow on his view of what food he was willing to try to become one that will eat more and try more... it means it helps him grow big and strong.
He's bossy. This one is a hard one for me because I'm considered bossy too. And I'm never sure if he is picking up on it from me or because of his OCD/Autism? Who knows but I've seen him give criticism to adults or correct their actions.
He is bighearted. I've seen him hold doors open for strangers, he helps at church, he gravitates towards animals and shows them so much love. He can tell when I need a hug and will provide me comfort.
My Little Man is brave. While I constantly tell people how awesome he is, I secretly know he doesn't understand that he is different. He understands some things but not everything. And to go into the world not knowing but still going anyway, that is brave to me.
So Little Man is a lot of things that start with the letter B, but burden is NOT one of them.
Wow. Beautifully said.
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