One of the biggest parenting mistakes I have made lately is assuming I know what Jonah will or will not want to do.
I will assume he won’t want to be around other kids sometimes because it is too over-stimulating…
I will assume he won’t want to eat what the other kids are eating because he won’t like the food.
I will presume to know Jonah’s likes and dislikes so well that I don’t even take the time to ask him what HE wants.
Because, yes, sometimes my assumptions are correct.
But you know what? Sometimes they are not.
And “inclusion” starts when we stop presuming and simply ask.
Because whether they want to participate or not, is THEIR decision. And even if they have said “no” every time in the past, it is still our responsibility to let them decide.
I have been surprised so many times when I THINK I know what Jonah wants and find out, that even with his anxieties, he would rather be included, than not be presented with the opportunity.