Never Ever Give Up Hope

Our family’s number one goal is to get in the community together.

It’s never really happened. Well, not successfully.

But we refuse to give up.

Tonight, our middle son had flag football practice. I wanted to go. My husband wanted to go. We wanted to get the other two boys out of the house.

So, we did it. Cooper’s motivator and encouragement…two (not one!) vintage train magazines from eBay. His most favorite thing in the world.

We stayed an hour.

I have never, in nine years, been more proud of this kid. He has never stayed anyone an hour.

He sat the whole time. People, he sat!!!

We used a timer. He sneakily shortened it a few times and giggled when I caught him.

He watched my phone.

He waved to strangers. He even said ‘HHH-III!’ Saying hi vocally is HUGE.

He sang and danced and pointed. He also made animal sounds.

And I talked to a few friends and watched Sawyer play football and Harbor play with a friend.

Never. Ever. Give up hope. We are coming out of a pretty brutal regression, one that stopped us in our tracks. We lost words. We lost sleep.

But, hope. It runs through us sometimes the only thing keeping us moving forward.

Tonight, was a good night. I can’t wait until the day comes when we can go to a practice or game effortlessly. Hope.

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.