We've been busy this week, bringing in hay before it rains, re organizing the kitchen cabinets, and other stuff I will post about later. Farm work is hard.
Childhood is harder. Isaac is 2 and a half and has never had a day in therapy. He's dleayed in many gross and fine motor skills. Other families and children with similar delays are in daily or weekly Occupational, physical, and speech therapies. We've opted out for now.
Why? He makes progress on his own, on his own time. Many folks we talked to said their children blossomed when they took breaks or even quit therapy. That maybe therapies did less for the child than people thought, and more for the parents state of mind, the feeling like you have to be
doing something.
We do something every day. It is called living. We play hard, we work hard, and we are very active and connected. I bought text books on the therapies and have no problem understanding them. I realize that this is not the case for many folks.
I am not judging you or your choices. I could also see and justify to our specialists the many reasons we should keep doing what we are doing. We live rural. We'd have to drive 65 miles to the place to get private therapy. That much more time in the car could instead be spent playing outside, actually using the muscles we are trying to work. (I know there are government services that will come to our house, but the whole idea of that makes me upset and freaked out. I read too much sci-fi......, plus we are rural (limited services) and if we NEEDED that, there are better experts 65 miles away. I am willing to drive
if it is necessary. In addition, we homeschool and if we get "in the system" they have to give us permission to homeschool. Not kidding.)
I created our own "therapy" gym in the living room. I did floor exercises with him. He gets to ride on a horse semi- regularly. Park day. Sunshine. Massage. Good nutrition.
Still, I could see over and over the pre-walking signs and skills. 2 months ago Isaac walked across the room to grandpa, turned around and then did it again!
Then he refused for the next month to stand or walk, even holding someone's hand. Slowing we got him to walk holding two hands, then last week he started doing it holding just one. He also insisted on walking like this all over the house. I was excited, but I also knew that we could be at this phase for a while, given his pattern of learning.
I was starting to doubt my plan. I was starting to think I have failed him. That maybe we should have him in orthotics and daily work at the child services facility 60 miles away. That all my theories about education and happiness and stress free play learning were bunk?
Then yesterday, he just walks into the room and yells, "MAMA!!" and claps his hands!
He spent all day walking the circle of our floor plan, walking back and forth outside on the flat bed trailer, and walking around the kitchen!
Of course he spent most of the night crying and refuses to even stand this morning. I am not sad. This is progress! This is fantastic progress. What we are doing is working. It is working not just for Isaac but for all of us. Just like with the hearing and ear surgery crisis, waiting, and working with longer acting natural options does work.
Happy works.
