Letter to Dad

Dear Dad, 

Today I went to PE and went on the balance beam.

Love, Michael

Mikey wrote this letter to Dave at school and then they got a special moment to share it later that day.

M had two friends helping him use the balance beam.  His school sent home the photo via e-mail and helped Mikey to write the letter so he could share some of his school day with us.

Ask

As parents of special kiddos, sometimes we feel at a loss.  What would it be like if our kids could tell us about their day? What if they could share something funny that happened or a thing that really bothered them? We long to know how their days at school go, especially if the other kids are being kind and including them.

If your school doesn’t keep you in the loop, ask. I often find that if I share that we wonder about Mikey’s school days, there is a teacher in his orbit who makes sure we get some feedback.  It might be an e-mail about a success.  At times, it is a phone call to talk through something that has been challenging. But my absolute favorite are the photos! We know our children’s expressions and I can tell that Mikey felt proud walking on the balance beam with the help of his friends.

That picture was worth a thousand reassurances that Michael was happy and included at school. I’m so grateful his teachers sent it back then, and I’m even more thankful that we can still look back on it today thanks to Mikey’s journal.