Keeping the End in Mind

Many years ago, I read a book that made me consider what I wanted life to look like for my son who had an Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis.  In the early days of his diagnosis, I was pretty much overwhelmed with life.  My son was pretty overwhelmed with life, also.  We both had a lot of meltdowns.  Does anyone relate?  It took a while to get a handle of what Asperger’s was going look like in his life.  We had to begin therapies and interventions.  It took us a couple of years to normalize life.  Life was calming down a  bit.  Hallelujah!!  Time to relax?   No, not really!  It was time to set some goals.

Here were some of my goals.

1. He will have a vibrant personal relationship with God and will grow spiritually.

2.   He will graduate from high school and attend college reaching academic goals to become all God would have for him. 

3.   He will be able to live independently and have a job he enjoys and is fulfilling to him personally.

4.   He will continue to develop socially and have a few friends that he enjoys spending time.

5.   He will develop healthy habits and have a strong body  and mind.

6.   He will have a strong self-esteem and develop confidence to attempt and achieve in various areas including academic, career and personal goals.

I’d encourage any parent to set some goals for your child.  It will give you a blueprint as you move forward in parenthood.  It will also help you assess if a particular activity fits into the goals you’ve set forth.  It really helps me to see what’s really important, at least for my son and our family.