Something just happened that caused me to stop in mid-step and praise God for his amazing answers to prayer. What was this extraordinary event? Aaron just bounded up the stairs shouting, “Mommy, I have to ask you something. Do you want any eggs?” I replied, “Yes, I do. Thanks for asking.” A simple exchange and yet one that seems almost miraculous to me. You see, there was a time when we realized that Aaron might never talk.
Sometimes children with a motor planning disorder such as his never become primarily verbal communicators. He began learning signs around age two to help him communicate his needs, and in fact, had created some of his own before then. One sunny afternoon, Aaron and I ran into some neighborhood children up near the playground by our home. Aaron was just over two years old at the time, and variations on a “ba” sound were about all he produced. We knew there were meanings behind these vocalizations even though we couldn’t always figure them out. Still, to most people, they were just “baa, ba, bah.” One of the children laughed and said, “Why does he talk like that? He sounds like a sheep!” Thankfully Aaron did not understand that he was being made fun of. He had been having too good a time playing.
That night I prayed for him to have strength not to be wounded or discouraged by such remarks if he were to grow without being able to speak. I prayed that others who got to know him would see his humor, his enthusiasm, and tender heart. I prayed for him to receive skills needed to communicate in whatever way possible. I thanked God for the incredible gift of our son. I praised Him for the chance to be a mother. Then I prayed as I always did for Aaron to be able to speak clearly one day . . .
Sometimes children with a motor planning disorder such as his never become primarily verbal communicators. He began learning signs around age two to help him communicate his needs, and in fact, had created some of his own before then. One sunny afternoon, Aaron and I ran into some neighborhood children up near the playground by our home. Aaron was just over two years old at the time, and variations on a “ba” sound were about all he produced. We knew there were meanings behind these vocalizations even though we couldn’t always figure them out. Still, to most people, they were just “baa, ba, bah.” One of the children laughed and said, “Why does he talk like that? He sounds like a sheep!” Thankfully Aaron did not understand that he was being made fun of. He had been having too good a time playing.
That night I prayed for him to have strength not to be wounded or discouraged by such remarks if he were to grow without being able to speak. I prayed that others who got to know him would see his humor, his enthusiasm, and tender heart. I prayed for him to receive skills needed to communicate in whatever way possible. I thanked God for the incredible gift of our son. I praised Him for the chance to be a mother. Then I prayed as I always did for Aaron to be able to speak clearly one day . . .
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