This past weekend Ayden Jane and I had the pleasure of heading to Indianapolis for a One Small Step walk hosted by some of our favorite people. Hurricane Florence was blowing into town at a snails pace. Well, honestly, I think a sloth would have beaten the storm in a head to head race. I felt we were safe to stay through the storm but as the approach dragged on and the days of rain and possible power outage lie ahead the big kids voted us off the island. They were unconcerned about the impending hurricane but they had no desire to be locked inside for days on end with our own little tornado of energy.
So Ayden Jane and I made a last minute decision to pack up and head out. Ayden Jane is an easy travel companion and was even willing to read aloud to me to help pass the time. It was like my own little audio book.
We stayed with wonderful friends who open their home (and giant basement) to us any time we are in town or in need of a stop. Ayden Jane had a wonderful time with their sweet kids. She was thrilled for the attention of H, a teenager who has not lost her ability to be playful. She enjoyed hours of fun playing with B, a sweet, energetic boy a few years younger. And, of course, loved seeing E, a younger version of Ayden Jane.
The biggest purpose of the trip was the walk on Saturday. There were several families with children who have PWS, some I already knew, some I had not. After the day and the conversations and the talk of independent futures "one day" .... I got to thinking.
I don't know when it changed, but my mindset has changed from:
IF Ayden Jane will graduate from HS with a diploma to WHEN she will.
IF Ayden Jane will go to college to WHERE she will go to college
IF Ayden Jane will be able to have a job she loves to WHAT job she will choose.
IF Ayden Jane will live independently to what do I need to teach her to make all of these things come true.
This entire post likely sounds crazy to 99 percent of people. If you have a child with PWS then you likely can't imagine them having such a typical life, learning to be fully independent and manage job, food, money, medical things .... If you don't have a child with PWS, and you know Ayden Jane, then you probably think I'm crazy to have once worried so much about her future.
Somewhere along the way, my thinking just changed. We were told a lot of things when she was diagnosed and one of those was she would never live independently. That she would need to live with us or in a group home. It weighed heavy on us but now, I don't really worry about the future or what it will look like for AJ. I mean, we think about what options will be good for her. We know that she may take the round about route and need extra instruction or help from time to time, but I have no doubt she will find her way.
So Ayden Jane and I made a last minute decision to pack up and head out. Ayden Jane is an easy travel companion and was even willing to read aloud to me to help pass the time. It was like my own little audio book.
We stayed with wonderful friends who open their home (and giant basement) to us any time we are in town or in need of a stop. Ayden Jane had a wonderful time with their sweet kids. She was thrilled for the attention of H, a teenager who has not lost her ability to be playful. She enjoyed hours of fun playing with B, a sweet, energetic boy a few years younger. And, of course, loved seeing E, a younger version of Ayden Jane.
The biggest purpose of the trip was the walk on Saturday. There were several families with children who have PWS, some I already knew, some I had not. After the day and the conversations and the talk of independent futures "one day" .... I got to thinking.
I don't know when it changed, but my mindset has changed from:
IF Ayden Jane will graduate from HS with a diploma to WHEN she will.
IF Ayden Jane will go to college to WHERE she will go to college
IF Ayden Jane will be able to have a job she loves to WHAT job she will choose.
IF Ayden Jane will live independently to what do I need to teach her to make all of these things come true.
This entire post likely sounds crazy to 99 percent of people. If you have a child with PWS then you likely can't imagine them having such a typical life, learning to be fully independent and manage job, food, money, medical things .... If you don't have a child with PWS, and you know Ayden Jane, then you probably think I'm crazy to have once worried so much about her future.
Somewhere along the way, my thinking just changed. We were told a lot of things when she was diagnosed and one of those was she would never live independently. That she would need to live with us or in a group home. It weighed heavy on us but now, I don't really worry about the future or what it will look like for AJ. I mean, we think about what options will be good for her. We know that she may take the round about route and need extra instruction or help from time to time, but I have no doubt she will find her way.
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