Just another kid

Having a brother or sister (or both) with special needs means that your typical child is going to have to sacrifice. It's hard to admit but it's the truth. Miles is only seven and he has often been staying away from home so Mommy can be with a sibling in the hospital. He is often asked to sit quietly through yet another Dr's appointment. I try hard to let him be little and tell me how he feels about all of this. Never will I be able to shield him from the responsibilities that come with being Isaac and Abeni's big brother. It is a job he takes very seriously. "Mom if anyone ever messes with Isaac they are going to have to deal with me and Beni!" Yes he gets it. But sometimes it is hard. "I'm feeling left out mom." Sometimes he makes insightful observations, "It stinks that Isaac falls mom; sometimes it makes me sad."

Just like everything else in life there is a flip side to the hard part of this coin. There are wonderful gifts that come from being Isaac and Abeni's big brother. Sometimes I need a reminder of this. At our last visit to Now I Can I was blessed with one such reminder. We arrived just a few minutes late and I was rather harried. I got Miles and Isaac out of the car and asked Miles to walk in with his brother. Then I got Abeni out and put her shoes on. I met up with the boys just as they were getting to the door. There was a little girl about Miles age there who was in a walker. She was nonverbal and was upset that her mama wasn't with her. She was standing near the door whining and pointing for her mama. Miles walked right in looked at her in the eye raised his hand and said, "hey." That was it. Then he went on his way toward the "family room" to play on the computer. I was thrilled. He had seen this little girl. He had treated her just like any other kid in the whole world. It was a perfect moment for me. Miles has spent his childhood around kids who are different. To him this little girl was just that a little girl. These kids and adults are just like anyone else. How lucky he is to know that people are people.