One of the aspects of having an adult with Down Syndrome, for most families, is that you never really get to the “Empty Nest” stage of life. We were blessed to have four kids under six years old in our home at one point. Cindy is an amazing woman who did a genuinely amazing job of raising our four kids while I worked outside the home. Fast-forward, and that translates into four teenagers in our home too! The best of times, and the worst of times, all together in one.
To be honest, we really did and do, count those years as a huge blessing. Now that Josh, our oldest, who was born with Down Syndrome, is in his 30’s, the other three are married and establishing their own families. But Josh is still at home with mom and dad.
We are racing toward our senior years at break-neck speed, yet we still think about and care for another living human being in our lives 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
How different our lives seem from so many around us.
But if you are the parent of an adult child with Down Syndrome, or some other mental or health issues, you never really get to the “Empty Nest” stage.
That’s okay for us though, we do not know any other life. And we cannot fathom a life in which Josh is not a part of it. We are blessed and hope to be a blessing to others by what we learn as we grow together.
Josh has taught our family and friends more about life, living and loving then we could have learned by reading 10,000 books, watching untold thousands of YouTube channels or spending countless hours on social media.
Truth is, he’s still teaching us everyday!
So “Empty Nest,” not now—We still have an eagle in the home!
