To my boy, I would do it again......

Gabe had the time of his life at his prom......it was an absolutely amazing day, and wildly blessed in every way ....and as I sit at the end of his school career, I can say with such satisfaction and gratitude, that I would have done it the exact same way, all over again.....I took so much heat early on in his school career for not choosing FULL inclusion for him....a decision I made with full confidence......I am an educator and his mom.....I knew that no matter how amazing the staff was that Gabe's needs were not going to be met sitting in regular education.....knowing it would not meet his needs in the way that he needed them to be.....Knowing that the term life skills, wasn't a dirty word.....that it was doing just that....providing Gabe the life skills he has needed, while also giving him the academics necessary to succeed. There were comments made along the way that implied I was selling him short......not pushing him to his full potential......which I just did not believe was true.....sitting in front of a textbook that was way over his head, to say he was included with the other kids is not inclusion......and it would have fostered an anxiety and frustration in him that would have propelled him in a different direction. Many WS kiddos can be subject to anxiety, and needing meds and Gabe has never needed that.....I would see forums where parents were dealing with crying WS kiddos pouring over homework that was miles over their heads.....pointing out all of their shortcomings, instead of highlighting their strengths......making them feel inadequate, not successful.....Gabe has gotten every single thing he has needed every step of the way.....and absolutely thriving.....Inclusion is a sense of community and connection.....and peer acceptance, and a willingness to invite a person into that space......it should not be a space where we place academic demands on a child that are well above them.......Gabe has amazing academic skills considering his IQ ........and has had teachers that have pushed him and helped him get those skills......and despite being judged by some folks for the decisions I have made, I stood firm my ground, and in my knowledge that it was the right thing for Gabe......no matter what anybody said.....not letting the voices of others become my own.......and as I sit here on the brink of graduation that is so clear.....that those decisions were the right ones and have allowed him to absolutely thrive and find his own way.....he has truly had a magical run.....meeting angels on earth along the way that have helped him become the young man he is.....and I could not feel more grateful and satisfied as I sit here today:) GO GABE GO! I will always be cheering for you from the front row:)