WORDS of the week

One of the hats that I wear is TEACHER.

I teach young adults with disabilities from the ages of 18-21. We work a lot on learning the requirements of adulthood. We work A LOT on soft skills.

At some point this year, we got into the habit of having a 'word of the week', which gave us something to work on. I then wrote the previous week's word off to the side and the new word on the board each week. We have a long list now, of our words. Today I was typing them up to keep them safe for another year and it occurred to me, how many of these words do other adults in my life know? Do they display any of these skills or characteristics?

It's a lot to be an adult. But it's not all that hard to be a decent person. At least I don't think that it is. Take a look at this list and see if there are any here that you need to polish up. I see a few for myself. It's a good review, anyway.

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Words of the Week

2015-2016

·      Flexibility

·      Acceptance

·      Healthy habits

·      Kindness

·      Self-awareness

·      Respect

·      Honesty

·      Perseverance

·      Self-control

·      Joy

·      Thankfulness

·      Believe

·      Generosity

·      Listen

·      Peace

·      Friendship

·      Energy

·      Considerate

·      Motivation

·      Ready

·      Calm

·      Mature

·      Diligent

·      Cop out/Show up!

·      Communication

·      THINK before you speak

TEN

Pieces of the life we've been living for the past decade have been falling away for a while now and I've barely noticed.

Suddenly, I realize that everyone in the house is capable of eating, bathing, dressing and completing numerous other tasks on their own. No assistance needed.

There are less and less little toys found laying around in random places. I smile a little when I do find the odd Lego here and there, I'm not ready for it to all be over!

There is no need to go to the baby aisle unless we are shopping for a friend. No need for diapers, bottles, rattles, or binkies. Those things have been long gone for quite some time. I feel the toy aisle becoming less and less of a draw. I know our days there are numbered too!

I rejoice in each new milestone and in each step we make.

But, at times, like the eve of my baby's tenth birthday, I step back and see where we are and think about where we have been. The Hubs and I are now parents to two very capable kids. Kids who are growing tall. Kids who are smart, funny, loud, quirky...and ours.

The countdown is on, we have passed the halfway point for having kids at home. It is beautiful...but can also make the heart ache a little...

Images like this one don't help with the melancholy...but the nostalgia sure feels good!