We All Have Special Needs

This face (and soul) bring me so much joy. ❤️

I remember that when we were looking for a preschool for our beloved girl many years ago, I was nervous going to this one school. It was a wonderful preschool and one of the only preschools in the area that was inclusive of children with special needs.

As we waited for the admissions event to begin, I looked around at the other prospective parents and wondered “would we fit in here? Would our girl be welcomed?”

That question was answered when the admissions team played a video describing the school. Among all the other descriptions of this lovely place they said “here, we believe everyone has special needs.”

Tears sprang to my eyes. What a beautiful sentiment. And how true. We all are working on things. We all have gifts in some areas and have room for improvement in others. But how powerful to see this as true of everyone, rather than just a selective group of people?

Gabby ended up going to that preschool (and it was a wonderful experience). Now, thirteen years later, she is in an amazing high school program where she is thriving. And all these years later I see even more clearly that what they said is true: WE ALL HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS.

And what a beautiful world we could make if we saw that this was true of everyone. Then, we could work to help everyone reach their greatest potential without fear or shame for the things we are working on. We could celebrate our growth, without feeling like we have to pretend we are “perfect.”

This was a lesson that was hard for me to learn as someone who grew up as a perfectionist. And it is one of the ways my daughter has been one of my life’s greatest teachers.

We are all born good and worthy. We don’t need to be perfect to be worthy of love and support. We are all working on things. We all need support and flower in environments where we get it. We are all unique and need assistance in certain areas. We all have special needs. ❤️