It comes in waves. There are times my son is especially challenging and then there are those moments the Lord give me glimpses of hope and encouragement as a mom seeing him being a "light." I had an epiphany the other day. As we were at t-ball practice, we saw him succeeding in a sport and feeling great as we cheered him on. It was awesome because, honestly, many days he gets into trouble and that is the memory that remains. I realized that those "challenging children" like my son are in need of tons of encouragement when they DO thrive and do well at something. Where they can feel excited about something they do well.
As a mom, I want to see my child soar and succeed out in the world. My son is only six but our challenges have felt like years more than that. Many days I have felt discouraged with my special needs child. But it is my goal to educated myself, read books, and incorporate my learning into on our family . I recently read, that with our challenges, t-ball is a good sport. It has been great! He loves it! We love it! It is a booster for everyone in our family.
So the other day, my husband took my son out in the front yard to practice hitting and he smacked the ball so hard it went flying into the neighbors yard!! We praised him! He couldn't believe it! He felt success! He was refreshed! My son couldn't wait to tell me of his hit. T-ball is a sport he can cling to and forget the other struggles in his life, momentarily! It is something we can praise him for and remind him how the Lord has equipped him well to play this sport.
My epiphany was that as I have a challenging child, he is in need of super encouragement even more than the average child. He knows he struggles in life. But it is my duty as a parent to seek out those things he can feel successful at and give him an opportunity to thrive.
Do you have a challenging child?
What sports/activities can you involve him in that may encourage him (and you!)?
Remember to educate yourself with books that may help in the area your child struggles. I have gotten great ideas from others who have gone before me on the path that has challenges daily but...successes too!
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