from the sidelines....

ok so seriously....three kids and one mom, equals SICK mom. Why you ask because, when the mom is getting up with those sick kids and not maintaining any sort of sleep who do you think gets sick...ME. So I feel like school JUST started and here we are sick. Not all at once either, because at least the misery would be over and not so dang everlasting. No, it is one slowly trickling in at a time, and you know how that goes right? By the time one is healthy, another sick and repeat, over and over until about May. Why do we live in MN? I honestly have no idea, someone kidnapped Laura Ingles and placed her in this place and now we are here, chasing memories of Pa and Almonzo, and btw what kind of name is Almonzo? Did she even live here? Either way, I am tired of being sick. Had to get that out there!

Continuing on with the theme of the month, Down Syndrome awareness...I had an interesting experience the other night. I went to a local chapter support group with parents of children with down syndrome. It was my first time going, as I didn't really feel the urge or need to go...so I went, very nice people, adorable and sweet children, all was good. Then a few topics came up and it was interesting. I found myself not really relating. One of which was how the siblings of children with special needs can feel that they are left out of all the hoopla surrounding things like the buddy walk. Feel as if they aren't all that special when their sibling is garnishing all the time and energy of the parents. It seems to make sense at first and hits my heart thinking, oh geez, I don't want Graham and Audrey to feel like that!

So, I ponder further, not interrupting anyone with my odd thoughts, and keeping it to myself. but, I think to myself, "yeah, so what?" So, what that Nolan will have a day of the year and get a walk for him, with all of us rallying and cheering him on. So what that G and A will be "dragged" to numerous appointments to help their brother. I found myself rather harshly saying to my "future older" children, SO WHAT?. That is life right? It isn't fair. There are times in it that Graham may be a master chess player (listen we have to move away from athletics after his recent soccer debacle...:) And we may all be in the audience cheering him on, week after week, for something we all don't really care about...but we will. Do you know why? Because we are family. We are here to support each other. To help each other. To congratulate each other. Hold each other. That is our job as family members. Period.

So, when the day comes of the griping or whining (which I hope is short lived and understood sooner than later) I hope to open the eyes of my children and say to them, so what? This is what your brother needs, life isn't fair to him, to you, to us, to anyone. We all do things we don't want to and you can complain about it or embrace it, enjoy it and cheer him on. Just as he will do for you, or we all did for you when you were 5 years old and begged to play soccer, just to sit on the sidelines for 5 weeks in 40 degree weather and CRY and SCREAM....yes we did that for you too, because we all know we all have our own"special needs"...:)