Speechless and so proud

I really had a hard time with Liam when he was younger.  His brain works differently than mine.  I knew how to motivate Maddie - her temperament is so similar to mine.  Liam frustrated me.  He frustrated his teachers.  I couldn't get him to follow the rules, he didn't care much about completing the tasks others wanted him to complete or the timetable they wanted them done.

At a certain age, he just began maturing.  He took more responsibility for things.  The brain seemed to connect better.  He would complete tasks and became a better student, in the traditional sense.  He also started to find his passions: dancing, drumming, performing.

Now, at age 14, he astounds me.  He is creative and kind.  He is thoughtful and conscientious.  Strangely enough, he also seems impervious to other people's opinions of him.  He does what he wants.  He does what he enjoys.  The opinions of the kids at school don't seem to bother him much.  He truly "marches to the beat of his own drummer."  I couldn't be more proud of the man he is becoming and I take great comfort in the choice to allow him to unfold into who he was meant to be.  It was a challenge to parent him without choosing medication or shame.  I am so happy that, as a young mom, I chose to trust Liam.

Here is a letter we got from Liam's teacher today.

Mr. and Mrs. Hickey,

I am Liam’s language arts teacher this year.  I am contacting you to let you know how much I enjoy having Liam in my class.  He brings a zest for living…. how refreshing. I am happy to report that he scored 100% on his recent test, too.

I particularly enjoyed his performances at the “coffeehouse”.  He certainly was in his element!  Thanks to you, too, for your efforts in making that evening a success.  I hope that I am able to keep track of Liam’s success in the future.