I was in the midst of getting ready for World Down Syndrome Day earlier today with Colin when I opened the folder in his backpack and came across the Educational Evaluation report we consented to a few months back. As I read through the report, I couldn't help but reflect how far I have come in this journey from where we started. In the past, I would have cried over the actual results over the test and admittedly I did cry today. I cried, however, because I was proud of what he was able to accomplish. I cried the most over comments like "...was friendly and spoke respectfully", "...completing to the best of his abilities", "...appeared confident in his skills and responded well to positive feedback". No longer are we the parents who are stunned and scared at a diagnosis we thought we didn't deserve (how it pains me to even say that out loud). We are not the parents who cry over reports that show weaknesses (not that it's always easy to read over those reports, but we have a different feeling on them now). We are parents who are so proud to say that Colin is our son, Colin has Down Syndrome, and we are so thankful for this gift he brought to our lives. He is amazing!
World Down Syndrome Day is held on March 21st (3/21) to represent the three copies of the 21st chromosome that individuals with Down Syndrome have (instead of a pair of chromosomes). People all over the world wear bright, colorful, mismatched, crazy socks to represent chromosomes, and the ways in which those chromosomes make all of us unique and special.
Our family will be celebrating tomorrow by rocking our socks but we will not only be celebrating Colin, but also, the friends, family, classmates, teachers, coaches, instructors, and community members that support Colin by demonstrating acceptance and inclusion for everyone!
We are so thankful for Colin and are so incredibly proud of him for the progress that he makes daily to be the best little boy he can be. We will celebrate diversity, acceptance, inclusion, and most especially LOVE on World Down Syndrome day. Let's see you Rock your Socks!
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