Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Looking Back

This post has been bouncing around my head for quite some time now. My oldest son is graduating this week. It is such an exciting and stressful time right now. I am excited for him and his new adventures in life, as he will head off to college in the fall. But a part of me is slightly saddened by what he doesn't remember of his years in school.

You see, back in middle school he went on a trip with his fellow scouts tubing in the winter. He fell off the tube and hit his head so hard that the ER doctor thought he was a football player and had been 'pile driven into the turf'!! He then went on to suffer about 5 or 6 more concussions within a year. He went through post concussion syndrome, therapy for concussions in 8th and 9th grades, but sadly just about failed all of his classes in 9th grade due to memory loss and a school not willing to work with him and offer extra support despite all the doctors notes brought in to them. He still suffers memory loss, and so most of his school years are gone to him.

I was working on finding pictures of him for his picture board for the party this week, and he kept asking what is this, when did this happen? There was one from three years ago and he has no recollection of it at all. None. It is as if the event didn't happen.
So his graduation is a big deal to me, and I look forward to celebrating this young man, who despite a lot of odds has indeed graduated without repeating a grade, or late. That is huge.

I was talking to a friend about how kids like mine are expected to graduate high school and a lot of people are not seeing it as a big deal these days. Why, because he comes from a two parent, emotionally stable, home? Let me share with you his early years. Where there was no emotional stability due to a toxic grandparent around a lot (my fault, lesson learned). Homeless living, couch hopping, living in one room of a friends house for a good two to three years off and on. All while he was young and in his formative years. There was no stability at all in his early years, and then at ten he had a sister that has a brain condition that meant I had to spend a year in the hospital with her, barely seeing my other kiddos. Let me tell you, his graduating in 2018, the year that when you start kindergarten and they say welcome class of XXXX, and you hope your kiddo is actually a part of that class is... Yeah it's a big deal.

So, if you were ever a part of this kid's life and want to celebrate this accomplishment and didn't get an official invite, or are not sure if the Facebook invite is good enough. Let me tell you here, no gifts are needed; your presence in his celebration is appreciated and loved and wanted. It takes a village to raise these kids, and I am so glad we had him surrounded by a great one that allowed him to bloom and still graduate with the class of 2018.

Congratulations Jonathan, I can't wait to see what the next four years bring you!!

Kindergarten
6th grade return from camp

summer of 7th grade at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp

2014 Boy Scout Camp


Senior

Watch Out LSSU - Here comes Jonathan!!