Life with my two boys is very full on; one of my boys has SMA and the other is on the autistic spectrum.
My days require planning, organisation, a sense of humour and an extra pair of hands!
Most days this extra pair of hands is the hands of my wonderful parents so here’s my open letter of thanks for all they do to get us through the everyday:
To Mum and Dad,
Thank you for being there for me and my boys day and night, for the making mad dashes to our house in the middle of the night so we can rush off to hospital in emergencies and for helping out in the mornings with the school run.
For the afternoons where you keep me company so I’ve not had to spend the day in the house by myself and for the evenings you spend with the boys so me and Craig can actually go out and remember who we are.
Thank you for answering the phone any time with “We’ll be there in two minutes” and for cancelling your own plans to help us when our schedule has been thrown into turmoil.
Thank you for the dinners that are cooked when our hospital appointments run late, the basket of ironing that has been done while I’m busy doing physio routines, the floors that are mopped when I’m answering the dozens of phone calls and the washing that is sorted when we have a sickie day.
Thank you for learning how to do tube feeding so that I can have a break sometimes, for helping with physio, for researching and giving me ideas on how to deal with autism and for adapting everything so that the boys still do all the normal things that boys do with their grandparents; the trips to the café, playing at the park, swimming, board games, reading stories and camping out.
Dad, Thanks for taking the time to help me with my biggest challenge yet – learning to drive a wheelchair adapted vehicle.
Thanks for fixing everything in my house – walls chipped by wheelchair wheels, shelving in the cupboards, breaks that have occurred from melt downs, adapting equipment, putting mirrors and televisions on the wall – I don’t think there’s anything you can’t fix!
Mum, thanks for being my sidekick at hospital appointments, for being the extra pair of hands and eyes I need when the two boys are together. You are the person who listens to everything and gives the best advice.
Thank you for being the person who brings sunshine to our days.
I don’t think I could ever thank you enough for all you do – we are so very blessed to have you as vital members of our team. Thank you for always supporting us, always believing in us and thank you for showing us it’s absolutely okay to be living our different kind of normal.
From me x