Our Brave Little Man

Our little man came home from school a couple weeks ago with a headache.  His newest tick involved a substantial amount of nodding his head and shaking it back and forth and his poor little head had enough.  On top of that, he talked about the teasing he endured that day as a result of the tick.  My heart broke for him and I longed to help him.  Of course, he rose to the occassion, which is just like him, and suggested we show our favorite YouTube video about Tourettes in his class. Brilliant.  He then agreed that it would be cool to write a mini speech about living with Tourettes and share his thoughts with his classmates. The teacher and principal were more than supportive of his idea and put it on the schedule.     

I joined my son in the front of the classroom for added comfort, which was not needed.  Well, I needed it, but he was just fine.  The video played and the kids were quiet as little mice as Dude finished the presentation.  He was smooth as silk.  I was immensely proud of him.  When he was finished, his wonderful teacher asked the students if they had questions.  That they did.  15 minutes of questions, all completely relevant and respectful.  Dude stood there and answered each one, calling on the next raised hand as he went along.

The adults in the room (principal, teacher, our dear friend Julie who teaches there and the school psychologist) were tearing up as different kids in the class talked about how Dude's Tourettes is just like their disability.  We talked about Epilepsy and Autism and kids learned a bit about what it's like to live with those conditions as well.  My heart overflowed for that 30 minutes.  It was all I could do to sit there composed as they all bonded over something that has been nothing but a struggle thus far for our little man.  One child said, "I love that I have a friend who's brain works funny like mine and I'm really glad we're friends."  That's just one sweet morsel that was shared...I could go on and on and on.  I walked away that day feeling confident that his presentation will draw him closer to his peers and allow for more understanding and kindness.  We needed that.

Tourettes is no walk in the park.  It ebbs and flows and changes almost daily.  Some days you hardly notice the ticks and others we want to shield him from the world and keep him home.  Despite how difficult it is for his little self to deal with Tourettes, his joy radiates through the frustration.  He's doing this presentation for his church school class on Sunday and has already asked to present to the entire school.  We told him yes, but one class at a time.  And I'll be present for each and every one.

Oh how we adore our little tickin' buddy.  Tourettes just makes us love him that much more.