Perspective

I posted not that long ago that Aaron's imagination and creativity have really taken off over the past several months. It's been so fun to watch and it's been a very clear testament to the fact that his perspective is often very different than that of those around him. He thinks up amazing and elaborate mazes, games and is constantly creating things at his little desk in the kitchen.

One of the things that I love the most about his growth in this area is his eye for potential. He entered some things in the children's department of our State Fair this summer and one category is "recycled class". Anything created from recycled materials of any sort qualify. He wasn't able to get this particular project done in time, but it ignited something in him. He now loves, loves, LOVES to take just about anything we'd consider trash and recycle it.

After a few weeks of this, I'll admit it started to become a bit annoying. I could not throw out anything without him saying "hey, do you think I could recycle that?" We started having battles over what was okay to recycle (an empty cereal box) and what wasn't okay (the peel from a banana). I had to pick my battles and we had a lot of tears and frustration when either a)I said No or b) I said yes and then he figured out on his own that it didn't work or was a bad idea. We dealt with siblings getting annoyed and worked on both his reaction to that and their reaction to him.

While at times I am tempted to be frustrated, annoyed and impatient over this, especially with the mess it makes in my kitchen every day, it takes just a second to bring me back to center. I only need to remember where we were 6-8 mos ago, a year ago, 2 yrs ago and so on. He's come far. He's growing and changing every day. To remember that it wasn't that long ago when a piece of paper before him would either remain blank or he'd copy a siblings picture and now he creates his own. It wasn't that long ago when he'd dress up because someone gave him the costume, but then he'd sit nearby and do his own thing. Whereas now he will actually participate a good deal of the time and even come up with his own ideas sometimes.

I can't say I'll never be impatient or annoyed, but I can say that I hope I will never take his perspective for granted. I'll never stop being amazed at how his brain works. I'll never stop being thankful that he's working hard every day to share his perspective more and more. This child that once shared very little now wants to share every thought, every idea, every neat thing he creates. I'll never miss the significance that this boy who once paid little attention to things around him now picks up just about anything and creates something out of it.

Perspective is everything.

Yes, we have far to go in some areas, but we've come so far and every day I see his potential more.

I learned that from him you know.

This eye for potential.

It comes from a shift in perspective...

Seeing treasure instead of trash.

Seeing growth instead of lack.

Seeing adventure instead of obstacles.

Where some see just a scrap of paper,



Aaron sees

a lock and key.


Where some see a bunch of wood,



Aaron sees



a pirate's ship.



Where some see a child with a list of diagnoses or a child that seems to be "one of those" kids, the ones that just need a spanking or need to know who's boss or any of the other judgmental things we've heard over the years. (For those of you that read that and say "He's the sweetest kid ever, I can't imagine him acting like that. Well, I'll just say you've not been around him enough. You've probably been around him in a structured, controlled environment where he generally does well. If you could ask the security guard at the mall recently that watched with disdain as I wrestled him and practically had to sit on him to keep him safe you'd probably not hear that he is a sweet child. If you asked the parents at the park that witness his difficulty in leaving the park 9 times out of 10 you'd probably not hear that he's a sweet obedient boy. While he is indeed a sweet, sweet boy his struggles are very real and very present in his life whether you see it in your short times with him or not.)



I see,

my sweet, funny, determined, strong and amazing Aaron.


I see,

(unprompted here, he decided to dress up like George Washington)
progress and growth.


I see,

(2nd place for his age group in the state junior duck stamp contest)
potential. Not so much in tangible ribbons and rewards tied to his performance, but the potential that really matters.
The potential to do big things.
The potential to take small steps that really make up the big leaps in life.
The potential to change the world every time he shares his perspective.