It's all gotta go somewhere

Perserverance

I noticed from a very young age that D would give up too easily when trying something new. For a long time we’ve been trying to re-enforce that he needs to learn to do things even if they seem difficult. I’ve been trying to cultivate in him the art of struggling.

This morning I was greeted with an unexpected manifestation of our efforts: D opened the safety gate that is meant to keep him away from the stairs when groggy (or should he prove to be sleepwalker). As I was making my coffee I heard a click, then “Mommy, I did it! I got the gate open. I kept trying!”

As parents we too need to remember this — and some days it’s not easy. I work on food a lot, often re-introducing things D thinks he doesn’t like, and it’s magical when it pays off. After a lifetime of not wanting to eat rice, D said, “More rice, please!” at dinnertime. Eventually he just forgot he “didn’t like” rice. Hooray!

And speaking of sticking with things…the other morning I went into D’s room when I saw him get out of bed (via the web cam), and found him on his room potty. He got up, pulled his pants up and shooed me away, stating: “Mommy, I still want to sleep.”

D has a surprising amount of patience when assembling Legos (with Mom or Dad– still not quite ready to play with Lego brick on his own. He is much more interested still in making the assembled autos go).

Here are the results of their efforts!

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In what was perhaps the best example of his perseverance — and the biggest treat for me — was that D insisted upon joining me on my entire 5k (3 mile) Melanoma Fun Walk! I didn’t think he could stick it out, especially before hand, with all the crowds, vendors, people talking over PAs– lots of sensory overload. But once we hit the road he found his stride and was so proud to cross the finish line with me.

Thanks to all of you who donated for your participation!

Taking streetcar to the Fun Walk
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Group warm up
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On the road raising money for Melanoma Research
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At the Finish Line
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Tuckered out post walk (not really asleep)
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3 Comments

  1. grandma sherry

    What wonderful pictures!! Yes, just keep plugging away, remember you girls and all the things you finally learned to try and like…mostly thanks to Kay. Neither one of you were giver-uppers, Think that’s part of the “Edwards” DNA. We hate to give up, it’s so satisfying when you break through.

  2. Grandma Beverly

    What an incredible young man. Finishing the walk is amazing. He has such patience. You’ve done a great job!

    Love the finished Legos. I can see why he wants to play with them. It’s good for him to see a pile of parts to come together to create something fun. Wish I was there to play with him!

  3. Grandma Lori

    So impressed! Makes me remember Jeff and Chris at the MS 150 bike race. Note to Jeff: see how well Dashiell tolerates parental videos! 🙂

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