Constance was a joy to have as a daughter.
Someone recently said they felt pity for the challenges having a child with alternative learning needs and language delays created for me. This was an odd statement because one would expect people to feel pity for the sudden death of my only child at age eight. Nevertheless, here is my response in three points:
Constance was a joy to have as a daughter. She was happy, smart, kind, and fun. She cuddled and told me she loved me. She shared her excitement for her life. Any parent will tell you that there is nothing better than seeing your joy filled with happiness and I saw that a few times a day.
No one should pity me about it. I was fortunate to find and afford programs where Constance thrived.
Any challenges I experienced were nothing compared to the hurdles she climbed in her life. I remember when I put those sign language cards all over the house and saw her practicing ASL on her own in front of a mirror. She worked incredibly hard to learn signs and then to learn to speak. Weeks before Constance passed, she pointed to a sign on a locker at the gym before morning lap swim and read it out loud to me. She wouldn’t have been able to do that without her incredible persistence. She remains my hero.
Now I am going to take this high horse to the internet where I can make condescending comments about other people’s opinions.
