The 5 Lessons I have Learned…to date

The journey is far from over, but as I look back over the seven years raising a special needs child (eleven from my first born), there are so many moments that I wish I could revisit. Whether it be to celebrate the small victories or calm my worrying heart; there are five words/lessons I’d tell my younger self and, they all happen to start with the letter P!

1. Progress

   1. We all want our children to succeed in anything they do. We want them to be happy, make progress and become the best versions of themselves. However, success looks different for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you have a special needs child or not, everyone progresses differently. In my case, I was so focused on what she couldn’t do, I lost sight of all the progress she was making. It wasn’t until my third child was born that I realized I can’t compare my children to each other nor other children. Progress is progress no matter what it looks like. So no matter how small, celebrate every victory because it’s usually the small ones that add up to the greatest victory of all.

2. Perseverance

   1. When you look up perseverance in the dictionary it states - persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. It’s such a simple concept, yet so challenging to execute. I have seen Addy do this countless times. Whether it be walking, chewing, talking, writing, even focusing. She has made progress through perseverance – lessons she’s taught us all.

3. Possible

   1. One of my favorite quotes that reminds me of Addy is… “I don’t need easy. I just need possible,” by Bethany Hamilton. Nothing more to say.

4. Patience

   1. This one is very challenging for me, yet so important. For any parent/caregiver, patience is critical. So, accept it, work at it as we can all benefit from more patience. To quote an unknown source, “Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.”

5. Perspective

   1. This is a powerful word and means something different to everyone. Someone once told me, if you don’t believe things will ever change try standing still and watch how everything changes. Change is the constant so change your perspective.

Perhaps the lessons are... we can always change our perspective to see the progress, and with a little patience we can see what's truly possible.

Much love,

Raising Addy