You Will Be His Best Advocate

Sawyer, I am writing down the stories of you so that someday, when you are older, we can look back together at them.

Sawyer, your brother Cooper started at your school last week. At first I didn’t know what you would think.

Would you be nervous? Excited? Worried?

Of course, you amazed me. Your response when I told you was….’now I can watch out for my brother, mama.’

You were so excited. I was a bit worried though. I want you to be a kid and not have to worry about your brother. I made sure I spoke with your teacher too. I told him your super cool older brother was starting fourth grade this year and that you may feel responsible at times. And to remind you if that happens that you are a kid first Sawyer.

Well, on Tuesday, I picked your brother up from school (he is doing half days right now) and I asked him all the usual questions.

Did you have a good day?

Did you play with friends?

Did you see your brother?

Each question was met with a grunt meaning yes, I think. It’s hard on this old mom sometimes. I would give anything to have a glimpse into his world…to know about his day…to know what he is thinking. Were people nice to him? Did he have fun? And so many more.

When you got home hours later Sawyer, you burst in the front door and yelled, ‘MOM! I saw Cooper at school today and I hugged him. And mom, he was so happy to see me.’

My first thought was love. The love that I have for this kid and the love that he has for his brother. It’s unbelievable.

The second thought was…gosh, I wish Cooper could have told me.

I made you tell me the story a few more times Sawyer. I loved the way you lit up when you told it. You were so proud of your brother being in school. You were excited that you got to see him and hug him.

You are going to be the best advocate for him…I know that.

Thank you for being you. Thank you for being Cooper’s brother and for normalizing all the unique parts of our world. You aren’t embarrassed or sad or anything beyond happy to hug your brother at school.

And thank you for telling me something amazing that happened in his day. It meant a lot to me.

Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook, subscribe for exclusive videos, and subscribe to our newsletter.