Additional Needs

Gratitudes for 2018

Posted by Zowie Kaye on 19th December 2018 Additional Needs, Advice & Support

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I have THE best family and THE best friends. Ever. FACT!  2018 has been a truly amazing year, we manged to get in so many memories and firsts.

I’m grateful that this year we had our first abroad sun holiday.

We do go on holiday every year but we mainly travel around the UK or go to visit family in Northern Ireland. So, we had a two-week holiday to Corfu with some of our best friends.

Cameron was worried about the longer flight than he was used to and I was worried about the change in diet and the mosquito bites that he would have to deal with.

We hired a boat and went out on the open sea, he went to his first water park but he absolutely blew us away with his maturity and the way he literally took each new experience in his stride.

He said when we came home that “he had the best time ever!” and loves it when we are off work and all together.

I’m grateful that our jobs allow us the lifestyle we have and the ability to have been able to book a similar trip abroad again for next year.

I’m grateful for the first grown-ups weekend away to Prague that me and my husband were able to take with friends.

The first time in 10 years I have left Cameron with family for three nights.  He was in the best hands, spoilt rotten and although he wasn’t too impressed, he coped absolutely fine in his routine change.

I’m grateful to my parents for all that they do for all their grandchildren.

In the summer holidays Cameron then went away with his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins on a camping holiday down to Cornwall.

He went swimming, built new relationships, played out until it started to go dark and spent everyone’s money in the arcades winning his dad a fluffy dice for his car!

I’m grateful to my own grandmother who at her 67 years of age still looks after the whole family, by cooking or just giving her blessings and emotional support.

She looks after Cameron three afternoons a week until we finish work and ALWAYS has his tea ready for him when he gets in from school.

I’m grateful that my sister treats my son as her own.

Every day she takes him to school and picks him up three of these days when he is not at afterschool club.

She will always call me to see if he wants to join in any activity that they have ongoing whether it be park, cinema or MacDonald’s.

I’m grateful for the true friendships that we have.  This year we all went camping for the first time, our friends had spare equipment and we were told to “try it” and see what we though.

The hilarity that followed made it truly one of the funniest experiences ever.

Cameron again excelled in his coping and maturity, he didn’t thoroughly enjoy the new experience but said he was willing to try it again.

I am grateful that my siblings have been blessed with extending their families, my brother is about to become a father for the first time to a little girl and my sister is expecting TWINS.

The above were all the highlight stand out moments from this year but there are so many more, and we still have another whole month left.

I am grateful to Firefly in giving me this platform to be able to share our ASD journey with the world, in hope that our experiences help or give hope to at least one other person.

I am grateful for the love of my husband who is my best friend and life partner, father to our beautiful son and whom without I don’t know how grounded I would remain.

Here’s to 2019!!