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The One With The Future Explorer

I have heard a lot of things similar to “Be grateful that he’s not mobile yet. You’re in for it then!” or “You think you’re tired now? Wait until he’s running around! You’ll want to turn back time!” You know what? After all this past (almost) year has held, I will chase him up mountains if I have to. I will figure out how to swim across across oceans so that he can investigate the fish closer. If he wants to fly across the sky, I will build him a plane. 

Watching him learn and grow and start to explore, I see the look in his eyes. I watch his pupils grow and the glimmer that comes across them. I can see the wonder and the hope build, but then it turns to frustration. The glimmer fades and it turns to tears because his mind wants to goes, but he physically can’t. My heart shatters, but I don’t cry. I do what I can to reach to help him reach his goals and make a huge deal over what others would see as nothing at all. After all, I’m his mother and that’s my job. Mommy makes the hurting stop and she is your number one fan. 

My life is not easier because I can keep my child contained. I am not lucky that he isn’t “mobile as he should be.” Our days are filled with activities that don’t involve him just laying on the floor. Therapy and doctor’s appointments and specialist visits are balanced with playdates, music classes, and trips to countless places with sights to see. Every day is a celebration of what’s been overcome. 

So, you bet when that day comes and he can do more than pull himself across the floor, I will be chasing him instead of keeping him out of “trouble.” I will be in the front row witnessing all his antics and protecting him from pushing him the limits too far because, with determination like his, he will. My house will be a mess because there is time to clean while he sleeps. My lawn will be worn down from sneakers stomping all over, but what’s a yard for if not to play? My schedule will be packed with activities and playdates because hearing him giggle is worth all of the relaxation in the world. 

There may be more sleep-deprivation, missed text messages and phone calls, and forgotten episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy,” but it’s a small price to pay for ear-to-ear smiles, reached milestones, and cheers of pride. You won’t hear a complaint from me because after what we’ve been through, I can take it. And after all Flynn has and will have to overcome? He gets to take the world by storm. 
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Location: Highland, NY 12528, USA

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