Share Your Experiences! » Winning Experiences

Social Experience

SocialXperience.com — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:43:02 +0000

There have been many relationships for me over the years. I have met many interesting people. There were the friends and teachers from grade school who you have your first real relationships. The first girl that you kissed and you knew that this time would last forever. The bully at recess, who you knew would have a tough life ahead of them. The other kids who stayed overnight to play hide and seek in the basement. The fun we had, and the dreams we had we knew would keep us all together. I had different friends in high school, some were the jocks and some were the geeks. We went to prom together like everyone else, yet it seemed that the interaction among us started to change. The feelings were stronger and the pain was longer. The weekdays were just as long as the weekends were short. The breakup after 3 months with a girlfriend seemed like this time would last forever. School was tough in other ways too. I had a lot of friends, but it seemed like there were bigger things to come after graduation. We all went our separate ways to meet other new friends. We moved on to new adventures. Meeting new people in college and working odd jobs became a whole new social experience for me. Working at a restaurant and meeting middle-aged men washing dishes seemed a little unusual, but then I began to think about what their circumstances were about. I met a girl who was about 10 years older than me and she was a single mom, she was going to school at night and she worked as a cook. Her story was how she wanted to help her son by getting him into a better school, since he had difficulties learning. The other cook was proud to moving up at the restaurant as a the head cook, he had been there for nearly 4 years. The older lady at the check out was here to make some money and to make new friends since her husband had passed away. I realized that this was just a moment for me while during school, this was a big deal to them. Some days I did not want to work, because school was getting me down. As I looked at the others and their situations, I began to realize that my experiences were not about me, but about everyone else.

After college I got a job far away from family and friends because it was the best opportunity at the time. Although, I began to see more hardships of others around me. I was not always the type who considered the glass half empty, but I guess this kind of stuff was more evident to me than the good things at this point. As I moved on into my adult life I guess I really began to understand my life lesson. I began my first real job in sales and have not looked back since. I will share my job experiences on a future post. I have learned how to better see and feel the needs of others. This has helped me in my experiences with others. No matter how difficult your life may seem, there is always someone who has a bigger challenge.
I have now begun to explore other personal experiences on the web and have enjoyed blogs and forums like these to share and read about others. Words cannot describe that the world is so much bigger than you are, look outside yourself to see inside of others and you will have a more positive social experience.

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“He No Longer Has Any Delays”

contributor — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 17:01:27 +0000

Those were the words I was greeted with yesterday at Riley’s annual Early Intervention evaluation. Riley no longer has any delays, in any area. That simple sentence literally took my breath away, as I realized that I have never been in a meeting about either of my twin boys and heard that they were developing completely “normally.” Usually, these meetings are difficult for me, as I am forced to focus on the areas in which the boys are not progressing as they should be. Of course, we always talk about the gains they have made. However, the bulk of our discussions naturally center on their deficits and on the fact that, since their premature birth, both of my boys have required intervention and therapy in order to learn what comes naturally for so many children. Both of my boys have been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP), and they have had physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and developmental therapy since they were two months old. These meetings can be grueling, and sad, and often leave me drained. Last night, though, I was absolutely elated and joyful! For the first time, Riley is meeting all of his developmental milestones exactly as he should be.

At his annual meeting last year, Riley was still commando crawling on his belly, and was not even able to crawl on all fours. I remember having a conversation with all of his therapists about whether or not he would ever be able to walk independently, and when they thought that might be. I burst into tears because I was so afraid that he was going to start to become aware that he was missing out on things when he saw his twin brother, Ross, begin to walk. I asked if he could try out using a walker and in January of this year, he started to use a walker for the first time. Then, there was a huge miracle in May, when he took his first steps all on his own. Now, in October, Riley walks completely indpendently, although he does have a slightly altered gait due to his CP. He still wears braces on his legs and probably will for some time. His balance is still not great and he falls often. He has a ways to go with managing steps on his own, running, jumping, etc., but, he is a million miles away from the little boy who made me wonder if he would ever walk on his own.

Riley’s language skills are right on target for his age. He says about 100 different words and he is now starting to use 2 and 3 words together once in a while. He is having a little bit of trouble pronouncing certain sounds and his speech therapist and I both believe that his CP is making it harder for him to move his mouth in certain ways, so he will still have speech therapy to address that. His fine motor skills are coming along beautifully, although he still has needs related to his CP that he will continue to address in OT.

This past year has truly been incredible for Riley, and while he does still have some challenges to face as a result of his CP, for today, I am basking in the glow of hearing “he no longer has any delays.”

Melissa Ringold

Winning entry for October! Thanks, Melissa for submitting your parenting experience to From My Experience.

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Sorry, but your child will not walk

contributor — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:58:44 +0000

God allows miracles to happen when its least expected. March 23, 1991 my mother’s first child myself Jocelyn Marie Blake was born. When I was born they had discovered that I had run out growing room in my mother’s womb so my legs were not able to develop properly. My mother was happy despite my complication. However, because of this complication other problems had raised. The doctor told her that there was something wrong with the bones in my legs. My legs were severely bowed and my bones were too soft and I wouldn’t be able to walk. With a broken heart my mother took this piece of information and returned home. She refused to believe what the doctors had said and went on her own search.

My mother searched for an orthopedic specialist who could help me for some time. She eventually found one and located at Beth Israel hospital and they put me in therapy immediately. The orthopedic surgeon and his team at the hospital did everything they could to help me. The team of doctors also taught my parents exercises that they could do with me at home to help strengthen my limbs. After countless trips back and forth to the doctor, doing therapy and exercises I began to show improvements. One day when my mom came to pick me up, I crawled towards her. She was so shocked and happy she couldn’t believe her eyes. Crawling was not yet walking, but it was a start. I am thankful for the doctors at the hospital as they took me into their care and it shows because I am walking as of today.

My mother always told me as I grew up that I was always trying to move faster than I was supposed to. She once told me I tried to walk while I was on the bed and fell off of it and got lost under the bed. She tells me these stories to show me how determined I was to walk and to humor me. Meaning that if I keep my eye on the prize I can do anything I try. By applying that idea to life I can be the most successful person in life. I now try harder than ever during the days that go by. I have turned out to be a very smart and talented person. I receive excellent grades in school; I am a good dancer, and swimmer. One day when my mother came home and I ran to her, and she said she shed a tear. What the doctor had told her the day I was born was a lie. She was determined to get me to walk and so was I. I have been walking ever since that day and there is nothing wrong with my bones or legs. Doctors aren’t always right, that’s why one should do research. My mother did her research and here I am now, walking.

The moral of this story, as my mother always says is never give up. Even if you are wrong the first time, or the first 100 times, the 101st time you will have got it right. So when in doubt I think of this story to help remind me of my capabilities. This helps me stay on task and believe in myself.

Jocelyn Blake

Winning entry for June! Thanks, Jocelyn for submitting your inspirational experience to From My Experience.

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