She isn't different, she is unique and that is what makes her beautiful.
When Amanda walks it is more of a toddle with clinched fists. She is neither fast nor agile but she gets where she is going and it always makes me smile.
Waiting for her to walk "any day now" was the hardest thing I ever had to do as a parent, but she gets it done now.
A therapist asked me years ago, "What is your dream for Amanda?"
I replied, "I would just like to have a conversation with her."
Well, now she has a lot to say. The words may not always be in the right order and she can't pronounce the letter R, but wow, this young lady has a lot on her mind.
She is truly a teenager, because as my wife said today at lunch, "Sometimes she looks right through me like she thinks I'm an idiot."
We still have to help her with a great many things that a five year old can actually do themselves, but she is progressing. Will she plateau? I can't answer that. When I see her doing complex tasks at home and at my office that I never thought she could do, it gives me hope. As a parent of a special child, hope is something that is embraced and cherished. It is more valuable than money or prestige. It is the one thing that we all fight to gain because hope generates strength which is what we all need.
