“It’s really, really important,” he says, “not to define yourself by the way your child succeeds — or doesn’t. If you look closely at them and listen carefully, [you’ll find] there’s lots to celebrate about them besides [their] geometry [grades].” -Henry Winkler
Who would have thought I would get the perfect advice for this time in my life from T.V.'s Fonzie. After my son was diagnosed with ADD and dyslexia, I had a hard time dealing with it. I was always a very good student and have always prided myself on my intellect and wit. I saw all of that changing until this quote spoke directly to what I was feeling. I still, however, feel jealous of all the people I see around me with children who love to read and are in advanced classes. At first I was embarrassed because I thought it reflected on my intelligence. Now I realize that was simply selfish. Conor is still Conor and I am the same as I was before he got his diagnosis. I worry that his academic life is going to be so difficult, and I want to make it easy for him even though he is the only one that can do that.
I am going to embrace the beautiful things about Conor and do everything that I can to help him along the way as I can.
Who would have thought I would get the perfect advice for this time in my life from T.V.'s Fonzie. After my son was diagnosed with ADD and dyslexia, I had a hard time dealing with it. I was always a very good student and have always prided myself on my intellect and wit. I saw all of that changing until this quote spoke directly to what I was feeling. I still, however, feel jealous of all the people I see around me with children who love to read and are in advanced classes. At first I was embarrassed because I thought it reflected on my intelligence. Now I realize that was simply selfish. Conor is still Conor and I am the same as I was before he got his diagnosis. I worry that his academic life is going to be so difficult, and I want to make it easy for him even though he is the only one that can do that.
I am going to embrace the beautiful things about Conor and do everything that I can to help him along the way as I can.
1 comment:
It's Conor's wit and intelligence, as well as yours, that will get him through those potentially-tough academic times.
I had a boyfriend in high school whose uncle gave him a graduation card on which he wrote "There's more to life than book-learnin'." As a wannabe intellectual, I remember feeling slightly offended and that this guy was obviously an idiot. As I've grown up, I've come to appreciate that there was a lot of truth in his statement. That doesn't mean giving up on the books entirely; rather, appreciate that there are things outside of them that matter deeply.
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