Love is Inclusive

I know I'm late to share this since Valentine's Day was nearly 2 weeks ago, but it'll be worth the wait. 

Teddy was invited to a Valentine's Day party, as was his entire class, at a local venue that's pretty darn classy. One of the local high schools coordinated this dance for all the middle and high school students to give them the opportunity to shine, as many of them aren't able to enjoy the traditional middle school dances or high school dances like prom, homecoming, etc. for various reasons. So this was a dance designed to let them enjoy music, dancing, food, friendship and fun ... and it was a huge success.

I'm so proud of one of our childcare providers, who happens to be one of the two teachers who coordinated this event. They reached out for various donations and were able to provide this event at no cost to students (except for if they wanted unlimited soda). Kwik Trip, a local gas station that's a Wisconsin staple, donated all the pizzas. The venue was donated, and a local bakery that I know quite well (OK, my bakery Nonesuch Bakery, donated paint your own cookies for all the goodie bags.) It was heartwarming to see the community come together for these kids.

Teddy and all the students had a blast! We got to see so many pictures of Teddy dancing and hanging out with his friends. Because all the schools in the district were included, he got to see one of his good friends from last year who's at a different school now. He was so excited to see our childcare provider, who teaches at the high school. He also knows her boyfriend quite well from family dinners at our house, so he was stoked to see Jake and drag him everywhere. 

"No, over there!"

It often feels, as parents of a child with disabilities, that we have to advocate, fight and ask for everything. And that's often the case. So when others go out of their way and make it easy for our children to be included and accepted for who they are, that means the world to us. 

Look at that joy!

So that's my takeaway for everyone who doesn't have a child with unique needs-look for the little ways to include others who may be different. When you open the door for us and invite us in, it makes our lives so much easier.