Parenting: Navigating Pre-Teens with Special Needs

Navigating through the Pre-Teens:

For me, the moment my son turned 10 years-old I felt a life as we knew it was about to change.

No longer were the days of thinking he’d stay little forever, racing through the house in his undies & a cape, curling up together under the comforter on a cold Saturday morning, or popping him in the good old Radio Flyer and walking around the neighborhood.

No, at that 10 year-old moment I felt a noticeable shift in the dynamics of our family…a shift into the unknown. We were headed into uncharted waters, my family and I in a raft,  knowingly paddling into the tricky pre-teen rapids.

The looming fact that my little boy was no longer a little boy, but still acted a lot like a little boy scared the schtuff out of me.

“Tim’s Place” Offers Hope and Inspiration:

What you need to know at this point is my 10 year old son has Down syndrome, and because of this is a little behind his peers. What you also need to know is I have been awakened many nights by the thought that the gap between my son and his peers will keep increasing and I will be powerless to help him bridge that gap. I’m a mom of a child with special needs, I take a little comfort knowing I’m not alone in my thoughts. But then I came across a video about an incredible man with Down syndrome that completely flipped my thought process upside down.

You see, Tim is a man who owns his own restaurant and also happens to have Down syndrome. My favorite part of this story is what his restaurant serves…”breakfast, lunch & hugs”. It’s right there on the menu! I can see myself ordering, “french toast, scrambled eggs, oh and a hug on the side please.” Without batting an eye, the waiter will place my order, and Tim would personally deliver my hug. Love it!

You can see this story & think, wow, that’s incredible that a man with Down syndrome owns a restaurant; or you can see what I see…

I see a man who has known since he was 14 what he wanted, according to his parents and went out & got it. He didn’t allow his different ability to hold him back, he chased after his dream and got it.

Teaching Others:

Maybe the pre-teen years won’t be as scary as I think they will be. Maybe my son already knows what he wants to do in life. Maybe, just maybe he’s already doing it now. Yes, there is a gap between my son & his peers, but maybe he is teaching his peers to come look at things from his level…from his perspective. My son may never be at the same academic level as his peers, but will his peers ever be at his emotional level? Will they ever experience the emotion and passion my son feels on a daily basis? I hope so. I hope I can help bridge that gap like Tim has done at his restaurant. Cheers, Tim!

Click here to find out more about “Tim’s Place”, as well as view the video about his restaurant from Everyone Matters, here