Call me naive, but when I look at my little Molly – I don’t see a little girl with a disability.  I see a funny and carefree kid that loves playing and does everything a typical kid does.  The only difference?   She’s got an extra chromosome…

When Molly was born and we learned of her diagnosis, I remember thinking that the life I had envisioned for our family was gone.  The dreams and hopes I had would suddenly have to take another path… or so I thought.

As I think about it now, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Our family is still on the same journey we had hoped – one of love, laughter and lots of fun.  Molly has brightened our family and our world, she’s just a typical kid.  Sure, she has a speech delay and doesn’t talk very much – but she’s very vocal and great with sign language too.

Having a child with Down syndrome (or any disability, for that matter) shouldn’t be seen as a hindrance – just a minor bump in the road.  Don’t feel sorry for those of us with children that have special needs…  and especially don’t feel bad for the child!

While the role of a special needs parent wasn’t the plan I had laid out for my life – it’s the perfect place for me.  And I couldn’t be more proud!