Special Needs Moms know to savor the gift of a child saying “ I Love You.”

The sixth secret a mom won't tell you is that Special needs mom's know to savor the gift of a child saying "I love you".
Ok this is one secret that isn't really a secret for me..I have never been quiet when I express how grateful I am when my special needs child has told me he loves me.
The most defining moment for myself, was not so much the words that came from his mouth..but more the determination in his eyes he showed me on the day he walked 15 feet without any assistance. He and his EA worked secretly for weeks practicing every day up and down the school hallway to walk unassisted. I will never forget that moment in my life, its up there on the top..with my wedding and the births of both my babies. I sat on a stool at the end of the hallway and watched with admiration as Braden let go of his walking aid and took his first independant steps towards me. I eagerly waited at the edge of my seat watching him intently as he struggled with each step to lift, carry through and plant his foot inorder to do it all over again. He smiled and beamed with pride, never taking his eyes from me. I was sure to show him by the expression on my face that I was fully engolfed in his accomplishment. I was so proud of him, I was in awe of his determination and strength. He was only a young boy of 8, but the stature he carried was larger than a grown man of 40.
The love I have for him was so hard to contain, to be sure to not unsteady his gait I remained seated and still until he made it safely to me. I enveloped him into a huge hug, I couldn't have been prouder.
I spent many years after my car accident just praying that Braden would once again walk, my prayers came true with alot a hard work on his end. It was short lived, unfortunatley he had a set back with took away his ability to feel his left leg. We once again mourned the loss of that, we had some hope for a short time.
When a mother of a child who has developemental special needs hears their child say I love you..I can understand the significance of that. There are moments when some parents worry they will never hear their child say those 3 favorite words.
I am the mother of both, I have a child with special needs and child who I consider special in her own way..without societies labels. I am aware of how easy it can come from her, those three words are spoken daily..many times a day. I do not take that for granted...many parents can, and I understand how that can happen. We get busy, we have jobs and other commitments, bedtimes, social outings...life can get crazy, I get that. But when child who lives through so much pain, assessments, let downs, therapy, needles, scary treatments and  even teasing from peers..at the end of the day when they are tucked into their beds and they still have the strengh to express those 3 beautiful words "I love you", after every thing they have been through...that my friend is amazing! This is why us parents with special needs kids savor the gift of those spoken words. Not many of us after a full day of disappointments can end the day with I love you.
The day that Braden walked for me indepedantly and made my prayers come true, was a day that words would never be able to fully express my gratitude. I felt the love he had for me...I knew my son loved me without him even having to mutter them. He said it all with his eyes...we locked gazes down that hallway and through tears of happiness...I felt his "I love you"...without him even saying it.