It's The "Normal" Little Things

Quite a few things have happened since my last post. I got relatively good news regarding my health conditions so I've decided I'm not going to dwell on them. I am going to live my life, take care of my sons, and not let my crummy health dominate my thoughts or actions. I will treat the symptoms and continue to pray for healing.

Now, on to what I had intended to post. My oldest son, Aidan, will be 7 in March. Aidan is not your normal almost-seven-year-old in more ways than I can count. It's all a part of raising a child with a disability. We have exposed him to several game systems over the years, including a Play Station 1 that we had prior to his arrival. Granted, it's not the most high tech on the market anymore and we only have three games, which are my husband's, so I can understand his lack of interest. However, Ned got a Wii system a few months ago because he had to have it. He quickly tired of it because it's more like working out than actually "playing". To his credit, this was BEFORE he lost a lot of weight. Anyway, since he loved the movie so much, I went out on a limb and got Aidan a "Cars" game for the Wii for Christmas, hoping he would show SOME interest in something a normal six year old boy might enjoy. And guess what?! My son LOVES it! He's actually not bad at it either, for not having any idea what he's doing. His hand-eye coordination is impressive for a kid with fine motor delays and who is supposedly mentally retarded. I guess it just goes to show that we never know what is going to interest these special kids.

Another "normal" thing he does now is swearing. Yes, indeed! I'm the proud Mama of a six year old who can cuss like a sailor. Just kidding! He only says one bad word (for now). And in this house, it's the worst swear word he could ever use. He's been dropping the "GD-bomb" since Tuesday. And using it in the most appropriate context, like when he's messed up on something he's playing with. (Disclaimer: Neither my husband nor I EVER use this word nor do we watch movies with R-rated content in front of our kids. So he COULD NOT have heard it here. I'm thinking school.....yet another reason why I want to homeschool my sons so badly.) Not that there's ever an appropriate context to take God's name in vain, and I have no doubt he doesn't know what he's saying, but this is such a normal thing for a six year old boy to do that it almost makes me happy. See, when you're given a special needs child, instead of the perfectly healthy and NORMAL baby you were expecting, you learn that, like it or not, you now have a "new normal". And you never quite know what that "new normal" is going to be. Your child teaches YOU what you can expect. The rules change from day to day depending on whatever your child wishes it to depend upon. Some days you learn that you just have to throw every previous expectation out the window. Than, later on, you need to go retrieve them from outside and add to them even higher expectations because your child will do something you never anticipated. It's proof that doctors and therapists and teachers can only guess, based on their previous individual observations, what a child with a disability can or will accomplish. Each child is different and it's impossible to guess what they will be as an adult. You can only stand by and marvel and rejoice when they accomplish a feat that you never thought possible.

Like playing a videogame or enunciating clearly enough to understand when they use a very innappropriate cuss word. Gotta love boys!