Having a child who experiences the world outside of what we would consider typical can be a powerfully transformative experience if we let it be. It has forced me to release my expectations about how things should be, what is right and why things need to be a certain way. I discovered that if I insisted on holding on to the "shoulds", they quickly became cages of despair and sadness that trapped my thinking and more importantly, my ability to truly appreciate my son for all his greatness.
For example, many of you would know that I am an avid reader, as is Jen so my expectation was that Barron would naturally gravitate towards books. To this date, Barron has no interest in them - he doesn't like to be read to, play with the books or pretend to read. While it is my sincere hope that he develops a love of reading because of the avenues it will open up for him, if I get hung up on this issue and focus on what he won't do, I might miss the fact that he's really quite happy and joyous on his own.
I've become aware of how much of what we do is in an effort to be happy and my son's already there! By releasing my expectations of what should be and instead enjoying what is, I get to join my son in his happiness.
For example, many of you would know that I am an avid reader, as is Jen so my expectation was that Barron would naturally gravitate towards books. To this date, Barron has no interest in them - he doesn't like to be read to, play with the books or pretend to read. While it is my sincere hope that he develops a love of reading because of the avenues it will open up for him, if I get hung up on this issue and focus on what he won't do, I might miss the fact that he's really quite happy and joyous on his own.
I've become aware of how much of what we do is in an effort to be happy and my son's already there! By releasing my expectations of what should be and instead enjoying what is, I get to join my son in his happiness.
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