The Silver Lining

I spend way too much of my life feeling sorry for myself. Mourning the fact that my children will never be "normal". Bummed out that my children won't go to college, probably won't get married, or read a great book. But I can't live my life like that because no one would want to be my friend if I cried all the time that is not how God wants us to live.

So... this week, I've started a list of the silver linings that come with having children with intellectual disabilities:

1. If they are in eighth grade and don't know that 8x3=24 (without a calculator) no one will care!
2. I will never have to struggle through long division with them.
3. They probably won't go to parties in high school and get drunk and/or take random pharmaceutical drugs.
4. I don't have to pay for a college education. (Never mind that at the rate of our potty training... I'll spend the equivalent in diapers)
5. When they are hysterical and crying, I can usually fix what is wrong.
6. My boys don't understand that the advertisements on TV are meant to sell you a toy. They don't beg for certain toys because they saw it on TV.
7. Likewise, when we go to Target and they see a toy they want, they are happy just to carry it around and they actually put it down when we get to the check out line.
8. I probably won't have to spend tons of money on the name brand clothing when they are in middle school/high school. They probably would be freaked out by a Hollister store (I know, I know... many people are - but for different reasons!)
9. When I let them pick out a coin for helping me with a chore, they are just as happy with a penny as they are with a quarter.
10. At age 9, Zach is still happier with the box than the huge toy that came in it. So I should just give him empty boxes for his birthday.

And the biggest reason...
11. They don't repeat what I say!