This week I went to a conference on Raising Aspirations for people with special needs who are transitioning from childhood to adulthood, and what the opportunities are. A couple of the sessions had me catching tears with the scratchy lunchroom napkins I had shoved into my pocketbook at lunch. The image of a 63 year old woman with her first paycheck ever was beautiful. And yet sad because why did it have to wait until she was 63? There were stories of hope, and there were stories of failure. They both made me cry. As a parent of a son with autism, I want to have high hopes for him. What is reasonable to expect of him, of us, of the larger society? A statement to "plan for your child to be poor" was heartbreaking. Who wants to envision that for their child?
This week I watched American Idol with my younger son. People have mixed views of American Idol. But it's interesting to see these artists grow and change and become. This 20 year old young man from Leesburg, Georgia won the competition and sang this song. Which speaks so much to the journey ahead. I've been carrying this song around with me while I work and mom. These lines in particular:
Well said, m'lady. Your son is wise in his choice of mothers.
ReplyDeleteI loved that song and it has touched me as well. I have to agree all bad decisions are fear based. Our brains just shut down from reason, logic and clarity when our lives or minds are wrapped in fear, panic, and anxiety.
ReplyDeleteYour son was placed in the proper hands, with such loving and caring parents. And I understand about the fear based decisions. I too have made the most grievous and life altering decisions based upon fear. It's a tough habit to break, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteWow--I love that Greg Holden song. I'll have to listen to some more of him.
ReplyDeleteI wish whoever said "plan for your child to be poor" would've maybe said "fully accept the possibility that your child will be poor." Because, well, this is the reality for so many disabled people...but there's nothing inherently wrong or miserable about being poor, rather than that our larger society has a lot of contempt for the poor and it's unnecessarily difficult in so many ways. And I think a lot of our aversion to poverty is about those things and not simply the condition of not having a lot of money.
(I know this is an old post but I'm enjoying scrolling through your lovely blog. :)