Where Do We Go From Here?

In this picture Ben is just a little man. Seeing the lack of hair and glasses I 'm going to take a wild guess and say he was about 1 1/2 yrs old. It makes Ben's mom crazy for me to put Ben in the pool. You can see Ben loves it, but mom can only see the eminent danger lurking with the water so close to the trache. I suppose that is how my role in Ben's life has come about. Mom protects, coddles, and worries about every detail and I push the limits. I want Ben to experience the world just as all little men do. Rough and rugged, playing wide open all the time.

So I have made a natural progression into my role as the Ben's advocate for living the best life he can. I have made choices unpopular with mom and maybe others but always in Ben's best interest. Ben and I have a special bond. We are buds on a mission - a mission for being all that we can be. I suppose that is where all my deep seated emotion and compassion for Ashley's parents has been ignited. All us parents want our children to be all that they can be and are willing to make sacrifices and unpopular decisions if necessary. I felt personally challenged and "called out" when others made judgements against parents playing the same role as I.

So where do we go from here? I will continue to speak out in support and protection for those of us who make difficult decisions whether they are the popular choice or not. I will continue to counter attack the ones attacking my extended family in the disabled community. I challenge us all to do the same - stand up for our beliefs and stand strong behind our friends and neighbors. And most importantly of all... keep our arms around our exceptional children and love and cherish every moment God allows us to share with them.

Joan Waddell - Ben's Mom