Lately I've been struggling a little bit.
I've been struggling with the fact that our kids are growing up.
On the one hand, growing up has been great! We're done with diapers, naps and all of the "baby" routines. Our kids play with each other and can hold meaningful conversations with one another and us.
But on the other hand, growing up is not quite what we planned it to be.
Many of my friends have children close in age to Ava, Henry and Ella. And their kids are growing up as well.
But it's different for them.
Their children are becoming independent.
Ella is not.
We can't just let the kids go off and play on their own. Ella needs help with almost everything she does. From going potty, to getting toys, to changing her location, to eating. We need to be there with her almost constantly.
We can't just send the kids outside to play in the snow. We have to be right there with Ella. We won't be able to sit on a park bench and watch the kids play on a playground. We'll have to help Ella with all of the activities she wants to do.
Going to friends' houses for play dates is becoming harder for us. Their houses are not set up to accommodate Ella's power wheelchair and it is becoming more difficult for Ella to maneuver her little manual wheelchair away from home (most other houses are carpeted and she is not strong enough to move her chair on carpet). So what ends up happening is Ava and Henry go off to play with their friends, while my focus is entirely on Ella and her needs/wants. It's very hard for Ella to keep up with her friends when we're away from home and it's almost impossible for me to catch up with my friends (the other moms) while we're there.
I don't mean to sound selfish, but it's just hard watching the other children growing up and becoming so independent, knowing that's not going to happen for Ella.
It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that we will be helping her with almost everything forever.
We really need that cure...
I've been struggling with the fact that our kids are growing up.
On the one hand, growing up has been great! We're done with diapers, naps and all of the "baby" routines. Our kids play with each other and can hold meaningful conversations with one another and us.
But on the other hand, growing up is not quite what we planned it to be.
Many of my friends have children close in age to Ava, Henry and Ella. And their kids are growing up as well.
But it's different for them.
Their children are becoming independent.
Ella is not.
We can't just let the kids go off and play on their own. Ella needs help with almost everything she does. From going potty, to getting toys, to changing her location, to eating. We need to be there with her almost constantly.
We can't just send the kids outside to play in the snow. We have to be right there with Ella. We won't be able to sit on a park bench and watch the kids play on a playground. We'll have to help Ella with all of the activities she wants to do.
Going to friends' houses for play dates is becoming harder for us. Their houses are not set up to accommodate Ella's power wheelchair and it is becoming more difficult for Ella to maneuver her little manual wheelchair away from home (most other houses are carpeted and she is not strong enough to move her chair on carpet). So what ends up happening is Ava and Henry go off to play with their friends, while my focus is entirely on Ella and her needs/wants. It's very hard for Ella to keep up with her friends when we're away from home and it's almost impossible for me to catch up with my friends (the other moms) while we're there.
I don't mean to sound selfish, but it's just hard watching the other children growing up and becoming so independent, knowing that's not going to happen for Ella.
It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that we will be helping her with almost everything forever.
We really need that cure...
