In My Son's Eyes

Perhaps the best way to start is through Benjamin's story.  Benjamin is now 8 years old and in the 2nd grade.  His school had a Reflections contest through the PTA and he decided to write about his experience with his mom. I decided if he was brave enough to talk about it, so could I. Here is our story as told by him.

 

                                       My Mom and I

I want to tell you a story about my mother and I. We have always been very, very, great friends.  We play lots of games together. We make forts, go on hikes, or just jump on the trampoline together. In the fall, we jump in leaves. Winter, we just stay inside and play board games. In the spring, we go on walks. In the summer, we go swimming. You get it, mom and son playing and having good times.

Then something really horrible happened. My mom got sick. Really sick. At first, I thought the sickness would last for a week. Then I thought it would be for a month. Next I started to feel scared because it wasn’t going away.

Then there were changes in the house. Sometimes my dad had to miss work to take care of my mom. My brothers and I had to help my mom with lots of stuff, like getting her food and water. The sickness just kept on going. Suddenly, my mom couldn’t jump on the trampoline. No more grocery shopping together, no more fun.

 I felt miserable and wondered what in the world I could do when I am bored. Sometimes I didn’t know what to do but lay down on the ground and wait until my mother needed anything. Sometimes I felt like maybe my mom would have this sickness forever and never get better.

The doctor said that my mom should not walk and go in a wheelchair or not go to the grocery store. The first time we went to the store, my mom was very embarrassed. I really helped her by cheering her up. I said “Don’t be embarrassed. Riding in a wheelchair is fun! Nathan and I can push you!” That helped my mom feel better.

We also made a “What My Mom Can Do” list. My mom and I put stuff on the list like “talking on the phone, being a friend, hugging, teaching Benjamin math.” We taped the list on the refrigerator. So on some of the days I could go to the refrigerator, pull the list off, and show my mom one of the things we could do. It made me feel better that I could do something with my mom and not just get her stuff while she lay on the couch.

She’s been sick for over a year. I’ve been sad and then I think of my mom and how I can still have fun and even though she is sick, it is still okay. Sometimes my mom has better days. Things are different, but still great. I have also learned that even though my mom is sick, it’s not the worst thing ever. It’s not like it makes you so you can only sit around each day. We can still talk, laugh, play board games, and watch shows together and snuggle.

I’ve also found out that my mom being sick made it so we can have extra family time. I know a couple of people who don’t spend a lot of time with their children. Either going to the mall or just not being there as often. I like it that my mom is always near and I can always go and talk to her.

I’ve also learned that if I walked up to a person, and that person had a medical problem, or was in a wheelchair, or couldn’t breath as well as other people, it doesn’t matter what  that person looks like. What matters is what kind of person he is.

The true purpose of my story is that you have to learn from difficulties. I know that everybody has difficulties. We need to fight back with persistence. Persistence is sort of like the medicine for your trial. Don’t give up. Keep on going. You can get through your difficulty no matter how hard that trial is. Your persistence will win.