Most of my focus on Maddie is in the day-to-day, but lurking in the back of my mind is the future. Always. All the energy I put into parenting her now is an attempt to prepare her for whatever is to come. All that is uncharted territory for me, though.
So when I come across an article like this one in the NY Times, my anxiety is activated. Granted, Maddie is much higher functioning than the man who is the subject of this article, but the reality is that our society is not well equipped to provide services for our special needs kids once they are adults. I hold onto hope that Maddie can live relatively independently. She’s bright and resourceful. I believe that if she sets her mind to do something, she will do it. That’s a big IF, though.
Only time will tell.
Here is the article:
The Year of Living Hopefully 