Keep shining, the world needs your light
When you have a child, you expect to teach them about the world.
When you have a special needs child, you realize you have to teach the world about them. When you have an Ashlynn, like I have, you realize Ashlynn has something to teach the world.
I didn’t expect to be the parent of a child with a rare genetic mutation.
I had never considered two very important words to the human body called “motor planning” that if impaired, affect everything a person goes to do.
I never thought my child would struggle to speak. Struggle to walk. Struggle to run or skip. To read. To write. To pay attention. To understand. I never expected any of these things and when they came each one felt like a small storm over my life. Did you notice I said MY life. That’s because even though the storm was happening to Ashlynn, she has never acted like there was a storm.
Ashlynn has always attacked every obstacle with a smile and positive attitude. And because of this, she has grown, thrived and conquered.
There have been many times I have had anxiety.
I am human and have hurts, pain, disappointment, fear, anxiety or trepidation. Each time I have though I look at my daughter who has every reason to have a negative attitude, yet she never does. She has some natural superpower to turn lemons into lemonade.
The 2020 COVID pandemic is one of those times.
Though I try to shelter my kids from the news to reduce anxiety, it is somewhat unavoidable. Though they have taken daily bike rides with dad and walks with mom, the obvious cloud of social distancing hangs over our heads. The days blur. Ashlynn has said numerous times she misses her teachers and has shed tears. Always though and I mean ALWAYS, she will follow it up with a “but.” For example, tonight taking a shower she said,
“This is hard mommy. I miss my teachers because of the corona virus.”
I acknowledged that it was very hard but reminded her we do hard things. She always responds with a “but” that bridges to a positive. Tonight it was “I miss them BUT we can zoom them and see them that way and next year in 5th grade I will see them again.”
I smiled. A song somewhere in my memory bank played “always look on the brighter side of life.”
During this pandemic, she has asked daily to take walks.
I have to admit that so many times I want to say no. Even though my intellectual brain knows exercise is the best medicine, I have an internal protest. However, I never regret going. Today she tripped over something because she was staring at her fitbit and she burst out laughing. She was in hysterics that she rolled her ankle because she wasn’t paying attention. Girlfriend has ADHD and dyspraxia that contributed and instead of getting upset, she laughed at herself. And her laugh isn’t a simple laugh. It’s full and rich and contagious.
I thought I would teach my child about the world, but turns out she had something to teach us. My sister once said she spreads sunshine wherever she goes and I can attest this is true. Keep shining Ashlynn Kay, the world needs your light.
