"Expectations" of Raising a Chronically Sick Child

You know what me and my husband's educational goal was for our children the moment we held them in our dreams?

Trying to raise wild + free forest babies.

Children who's feet felt more familiar on soft, cold dirt then on fuzzy carpet, who didn't understand the term "bad weather," and thought the classroom was half trees, half kitchen tables. 2020 has been a world of change for us as we understand our child's current fragile limitations. Somewhere in the spectrum of special needs, however unknown. In addition he has unknown limitations, might I add! What can he handle, exactly? Even the backyard and the playground have reeked serious consequences when were not careful. (And yet his unlimitation is also unknown 😉💪🏻). Or maybe this is just temporary and one day we will flourish back into those old dreams.

Perhaps this is a collective experience, but 2020 has been a shift in expectation. And we (my husband and I) have a choice: to abandon all hope, force it to work, or adapt and change our expectations. We are attempting the latter. Let's try to meet ATTICUS where he is! Let us not expect him to join us, let's join him. Throw away the entire image that we concocted before he arrived Earthside. Let's a build a new picture as we go. Today we went outside, but you were held almost the entire time, Tuesday might be filled with restful play, Wednesday we will collect rainwater one slow drip-drop at a time, and Thursday we might hold a pinecone in our hands. It's all perfect. It encompasses everything we dreamed of!! It just veered off the path and made our own road instead.