“There is no greater gift that we can give our 2e learners, than the gift of time.” —Susan Baum

Chestnut Ridge Academy is built upon this theory. When managing asynchronous development we must quickly accept that in some ways, time is our biggest tool. My time with E is precious and every day I remind myself of what a treasure it is that I can be here to support him so much. In some ways, the pandemic has allowed me to take away the guilt of not having him out in the community more or feeling the need to shuttle him between therapy appointments. Instead, we have given time its chance to perform its magic. The results are astounding. We’ve both changed. We’ve both grown.

But I can’t help but look at moments like this one and realize just how much life is changing. The little boy that used to hold my hand on these paths…. he now runs ahead as mom lags behind. The boy that used to clumsily fall down on the concrete when he ran… now jumps and dances and runs like the wind. The boy with the missing front teeth now smiles at me with an adult grin. I realize that no matter what the future holds, my days alone with him are fleeting. The seasons are changing. He is growing up and I am getting older. These are the days that I will look back upon as my greatest.

Sometimes, for just a little while, I would love to hold time right where it is for just a bit longer. To hold the growing son of my just a little longer, while I still can.