My Daughter has made it through high school and is not the same child I took to Children's memorial when she was only two.
My educational background was in special education ... LD/BD so I was unlike so many others ... prepared for this. I knew how to get exactly what she needed and today she has come a long way from the child who did not utter a word until she was five to the young adult who wants to be a nurse's assistant and help take care of sick people. I was prepared for her childhood and knew exactly how to navigate the bureaucracy of the special educational system. We made it ... she graduated and is ready to move forward.
But here is what I was NOT prepared for ...
I was NOT prepared for her strong sense of self-awareness and furthermore her own bad feelings about who she is.
I was NOT prepared to help her battle the feelings she has as a young adult of worthlessness because of her disability.
I was NOT prepared for society to treat he as though she was worthless in the workforce.
I was NOT prepared for a world of adults who are both IGNORANT and CRUEL.
I was NOT prepared to have to comfort her in her grief over losing a job because she was not "catching on quick enough".
I was NOT prepared to now learn how to help her STAND UP FOR HERSELF as an adult.
I was NOT prepared for her screaming that she does not even want to try anymore because "EVERYONE will treat me this way!!!"
I was NOT prepared for this ....
I am foolish and silly to think that just because there is soooo much more information and awareness than there was almost 20 years ago ... that the world would be ....
More Accepting
More Understanding
More Tolerant
More Open-minded
More Helpful
I feel like now I am back at SQUARE ONE
And heartbroken ALL OVER AGAIN for HER SAKE
Because I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR A WORLD LIKE THIS.
Lake in the hills, IL