When Willow was 2.5, she still couldn't speak more than a few words, let alone string 2 together. Her 3 consistent words were mommy, daddy and yes (which sounds like "aye"). It was always frustrating but at times it caused meltdowns like you've never seen. I yearned to hear the rhythm of her speaking voice and couldn't wait to have an actual conversation with her. She spent 4 hours a week in speech therapy and many of those sessions were filled with fits and crying. It was exhausting. All of it. It could be so intense for ME, that I forgot how frustrating it must have been for HER.
As I look back at that time,
it's a good reminder that sometimes
people can't give us what we want
but it may hurt them as much as it hurts us.
Let's work on being more patient and more kind. Let's take the focus off our own feelings for just a minute and take into consideration the feelings of the person who isn't delivering to us what we want.
A year later, 3.5 year old Willow has a lot more words. She can repeat most words I say (in her own way) and can get her point across much better. While she often sounds like a little toddler robot, I can hear the rhythm of Willow. I can hear what she sounds like that makes her different from anyone else on this earth. Life is less frustrating now and I'm so thankful. We have a very long way to go, but I don't care. I have today and I have Willow and words or no words, she's mine.
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