GOOD

Good- noun

1. that which is morally right; righteousness.

As a mother of a child with special needs I feel pressure to put him in every therapy or intervention so that he is able to reach his highest potential. I have found myself in the front seat of a never ending roller coaster.

Lately, I have put so much pressure on myself (and Brody) to make sure that we are always moving forward and I have officially hit my “Therapy Mom” plateau.

It wasn’t until after talking to my own mom where I was reminded that there are more important things than Brody hitting a milestone or consistently moving in the right direction. She reminded me that Brody is good.

At first I didn’t understand what being “good” meant.

She reminded me that Brody doesn’t intentionally hurt, ignore, or behave in a way where I or anybody else would be ashamed. He is always smiling, easy to please, and works very hard. His frustrations don’t come from him being a bad toddler or deviant. They come from him not understanding from a cognitive perspective, from him not being able to communicate, or him not being able to process the world around him.

Being “GOOD” doesn’t mean he always has to be excelling at everything he does but instead, the good heartedness that is always there behind the trying.

As his mom, I am making changes to our day to day schedule where Brody is getting opportunities to just “be a toddler.” It’s a good break from our structured time and rewarding for both of us. It is even better when he shows some of his skills he’s picked up in therapy without prompts.

The reality is Brody will continue to need therapies and they will continue to take up our time but his success or failures in them will not define who he is, or how good he is.