I’ve had to remind myself of this a lot.
Jonah did great playing baseball today, but it wasn’t without its challenges.
He was also the one throwing rocks at the other kids when he wasn’t batting. I had to take him off the field when it wasn’t his turn to hit. Every time I tried to bring him back, he would immediately find rocks to throw at the other kids.
It is a completely new experience, playing baseball, and that was how Jonah coped with the anxiety.
Throwing rocks at other kids… all with some sort of disability or differing abilities.
Yeah.
I know that he will get there eventually, but sometimes, I catch myself comparing him to the other kids.
I see them celebrating huge victories and I’m happy for them. I truly am.
But then I do the “comparing.”
Don’t get me wrong. We’ve seen A LOT of progress. A TON.
But sometimes my mind wanders and I subconsciously start “rating severity” of the other kids compared to Jonah and mentally evaluating if we will have THOSE kind of victories.
And I catch myself.
In that moment, I have to reorient my thinking. Because that is SO UNFAIR.
My kids are not other kids. Those kids walk their journeys. We walk our own.
They may have victories in some areas, but we may have victories in others. It is NOT a competition.
We have to keep our eyes forward on our own path and celebrate the progress we see without comparing it to others.
Because each person shines in their own time.