[tri-med] Re: Predicting Outcome - Long


----- Original Message -----
From: "Karen" <karens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Same here, but which parachute to pack. I can try and pack them all - but
> thats a little too much equipment for any one person to carry.....

Karen~
One big difference between the Alexs is that here we don't have the
continual worry/work of the severe medical issues. That alone is something
that is already a stress and extra work for Aussie Alex. That necessitates a
parachute of it's own.

Fortunately US Alex has for the most part been very compliant and willing to
work long and hard. If it had been a huge fight or struggle most of the time
I might have revisited my origional thinking. But in our situation this was
the road taken.........a leap of faith at times I guess is all you have.

Because of the struggles and many (hundreds, thousands???) hours of hard
work Alex is where he is today and able to enjoy the choices he does. He has
been asked "Do you want to take Lit and Comp II next year knowing it will be
harder than this yrs class or do you think that perhaps a spec ed class is
the way to go?".  All his hard work over the years  with  reading, writting,
comprehension has made it possible for Alex to take drivers ed. If we'd have
gone the path of sustained innocence or least resistance and let things
progress very naturally Alex would NOT have the choices he does today. And
he greatly values those choices and the independence it brings.

I can honestly say that I don't regret (at this time) the path that we chose
to take.

I think that what we are seeing in terms of attitude is "typical teen angst"
as other parents of Alex's typical peers are talking about seeing similar
attitudeds in their kids too. In my heart I don't believe it's related to
all the work/struggles that we had in elementary and early middle school.
Plus, his schedule is more fine tuned these days than it was then. Or, he
now has most of the base skills to get alone--something he didn't have in
elementary. Not sure which. Maybe both.

As for packing the parachute, I've picked one--for better or worse--after
almost 16 yrs of loving and living with this first born of mine. One can
stay on the fence indefinately but it's a place of stagnation as there's
never any progression or change due to the very limited living space it
provides. I jumped off of it and we've been wading through the surrounding
field since. Some days you find beautiful flowers in the field and other
days you step in cow dung but it's all a part of living this life.
Not to say I don't revisit the fence and perch on there now and then for a
while....thinking.....hoping.....analyzing.......studying.........soul
searching.........

Michelle mom to Alex (15,partial trisomy 14 mosaic) and Molly (12)
MichiganUSA


                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
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