Saturday, May 1, 2010

Amazing Saturday

I may have mentioned before that my son, Tyler, has special needs. When he was just a toddler, doctors threw out words like Autism and Asperger's Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-NOS. From that point on, physical, occupational and speech therapists have been just another part of Tyler's day to day reality. He has come a LONG, LONG way. His behavior is still a problem now and again, but I'm really proud of the progress he has made. My other two sons are typically developing. Tyler's 6 year old brother was in a T-Ball league last spring and it was hard on Tyler not being able to play. He didn't understand why he couldn't play baseball just like his brother. I had a hard time explaining it too. After all, they play together at home. He plays with other kids at school, so why on earth couldn't he play baseball just the same as every other kid.



Today I took Tyler to something called Challenger Baseball. Apparently some guy just saw the need out there and created this league all by himself. What I witnessed today was amazing. When Tyler arrived, he was given a complete baseball uniform; shirt, pants, hat and even socks. As he was paired with a buddy, I looked around at a sea of parents and kids. There were kids in wheelchairs, with walkers, kids with Downs Syndrome, kids with other developmental delays all together playing baseball. In a world where these kids struggle to fit in, they were in their element to be sure. Everyone fit in, no matter what their abilities. I was absolutely amazed. What a great Saturday!

1 comment: