Time for 4th Grade and The Welcoming of New Villagers

 It's already time for 

4th Grade!!

It takes a village to raise a child. You all have heard me say that so many times. And I truly believe that when a family has a child with special needs it’s not just a saying, it is truth. At least it is for us. I rely so heavily on my village. My village has taught Allie things I could never even have thought to teach her. My village looks out for her and introduces her to new experiences. My village teaches me things as well. All. The. Time. My village is there for us and there’s no doubt that Allie is a much better person and will have a much brighter future because of the amazing village we have.

We recently have introduced new members!! Very important members to our village. Allie is now attending fourth grade at a different school. With all new people; all new teachers; all new administration and a lot of new students that she had never met before.  Oh. And it’s 4th grade, which is a world of difference from 3rd grade.

I welcome new village members!  Quickly. And then I suddenly worry. I worry that I know I have a tendency to trust too quickly. To be too naïve.  And a little bit of panic and mama bear protection jumps in. And I question what I think I know. And I worry that Allie can’t communicate what she needs to communicate and I worry about what I don’t know. And then I worry about what I don’t know even more. And then Allie does what Allie does best in new situations. She tests the limits. She tests the boundaries. Then she smiles and gives lots of love and then throws in one of her specialties. Like locking doors. Or refusing to do work or a variety of  other things. Things that make a mother worry. Sometimes on this journey I forget a very important thing... villagers all have a special talent, gifts, knowledge or skills they bring with them to the village. Many of them bring several of these gifts. Some villagers may not even realize they are villagers. These can fall into the people we pass at the store or at the park. The people that stop to listen to Allie as she tells them something. Those that teach their chil

dren to be kind and sweet to my very interested daughter. And then their are villagers assigned to us and I pray they want to be in our village. ;-) In all reality, those assigned are usually in a field that they prayed to be in. A field they went to school to learn more so they could be in villages like ours. And, they are genuinely thrilled to be on Allie's team in her village. I'm not sure if the new villages realize, but once a villager - always a villager. We also refer to our village members as Allie's Allies... And, we are so thankful for our allies.

Now we are one month into school. And earlier this week we were able to sit down with the new village members and have a Pow Wow  because I was worrying.  I didn't mean to. I certainly didn't think I knew more than trained professionals that came widely recommended. It is just I'm the Mom and sometimes my job is to simply worry and try to figure it all out. At our meeting, I was so thankful to be able to hear and see first hand how Allie’s day looks and what to expect during fourth grade. And you know what?  This mom is no longer worried! Allie is on the best team she could be on. This team will teach. This team will push. This team will love. This team will think outside the box. This team will (and has already) introduced Allie to experiences I didn't know to suggest. And you know why? Because that is not the talent I bring to the Village. It is theirs and I'm so glad. It’s perfect for us. She has some of her friends in all of her classes. And while she is still testing the limits a little bit, these teachers are more experienced and ready for Allie!!  I’m thrilled to see what this year will bring. I love the team Allie has this year and I am excited to watch her grow.
#ItsAGreatDayToBeAWarrior #TIS #ABLtoDoit