My Little Man {An Update on Luke}

Around this time last year, I came to you, my amazing readers, for a shoulder to cry on and advice for my sweet boy. The Husband and I were struggling with our son having a speech delay and how to adequately address the concerns of the professionals. Of course we wanted what was best for Luke. Hands down, our priority is to make sure that our children are given every opportunity to succeed in life. It was just really painful to see our child suffer and realize that the way to “fix” his stuttering issues were beyond our control.

Luke was enrolled in the preschool at our local elementary school nearly a year ago. It’s amazing to me: what we once feared and dreaded for our son — the label and accompanying special services — has actually been a blessing in disguise. Our child has completely flourished this past year. He’s gained new friends, learned an appreciation for other authority figures, and gained more new knowledge than I could have ever hoped. His teachers are God sent, no joke. These women are amazing.

But the absolute best part? Luke can tell us what’s on his mind without hesitation or stuttering. His speech has progressed by leaps and bounds and The Husband and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Having Luke diagnosed with a speech deficiency seemed like my poor child was going to be facing an uphill battle the rest of his life. No parent ever wants a situation like that for their kids, no matter how hard the battle might be. From everything I’d researched about stuttering when this started, it seemed as if stuttering was something that could take years to work through, if ever.

In what seems like a miracle to me compared to where we started a year ago, tomorrow is Luke’s last day receiving “special services.” When he returns from Spring Break, he’ll still be in the same class with his friends and amazing teachers, but he’ll be a kid who pays tuition to be a role model for the other kids.

Luke worked really really hard this year on improving his speech.

I wish you could have heard the hundreds of times he’d ask Google something on our iPad until he’d pronounce well enough for Google to understand it. I wish you could have seen how hard he’d focus on pronouncing words correctly. I wish you could see how his bright blue eyes light up when he knows he’s said something well.

I wish that all kids could experience the same kind of success that Luke has. I’ll be saying fervent prayers for those kids out there who are still struggling; they meant a world of difference to mine.