another heart warming story...

A father writes about his family and the challenges they face on a daily basis.

My name is Henry Watson. I live in Boulder, Colorado, with my wife, Ginger, and our six children, who range in age from three on up to seventeen. We also have a two dogs, a Pomeranian named "Skippy" and a Golden Labrador Retriever named "Tyler" ("Tyler" belongs to our son, Tommy; he's more his dog, not ours).

Our children aren't like most: that is, suffice to say, they are all children who happen to have special needs. Their disabilities range from autism to learning disabilities, blindness to cerebral palsy, and mental disabilties; yet they are our children first and foremost.We have three boys and three girls. They are also adopted. Three came to us from China, the other three from Korea, Mexico, and the Ukraine. Our children are named from the oldest to the youngest: Timberly Ryanne (17), Ivan Michael (14), Georg Macario (11), Hyun Mi Grace (9), Thomas ("Tommy") Patrick (6), and the "baby" of the bunch, three-year-old Piper Franklin.

We adopted the teenagers when they were small, so they've been with us for a while; the younger set came to us only about three years ago--or sooner.Now, some (like Timberly, Tommy, and Piper) are quite disabled.

Piper has cerebral palsy and is blind/deaf; he is nonverbal, and he can't do much for himself, but he is a beautiful little boy who can smile readily; when he does, his grin lights up the room.

Timberly is mentally retarded (Down's); she may be 17, but she has the mindset of a five-year-old, and she is a delightful child with a giggle guaranteed to brng a smile to all who meet her.

As for Tommy, he is blind, but he gets around with the aid of a cane or a guide dog, a golden Lab he has named "Tyler".Ivan has autism, but he does pretty well, most of the time. He has a mild form, but if there are any disruptions to his routine, he will lose it and go wild on us; thankfully, though, that is few and far between. Most of the time he is a gentle child who loves to make us laugh. He is our resident comedian.

Georg has learning disabilities; he is in a special ed class at his school. He cannot read or write; someone has to read to him or write for him; he just doesn't have the cognitive skills to be able to do these things. He is hyperactive, and we are wondering if he has some autism in him somewhere because there are times where he zones out and retreats to his own world.

As for our Gracie, she has a childhood form of arthritis; she can't walk without help, and she is often in severe pain. We found out she had it before we adopted her, and it hurts us to see her crying in pain during inclimate weather or when she has "flares", where her disease is active. Her fingers and knees (as well as her elbows) are horribly swollen a lot of the time, and she walks with the aid of crutches (or uses a wheelchair if she is hurting more than usual, which is usually the case).

So there you have it. Our kids. They are our world, and we'd do anything to make their lives easier for them.As for my wife, Ginger, she is a homemaker, which is the hardest job of all. She loves being with the children, and she also homeschools the littler ones. (The older kids go to public school, but we are thinking of pulling them out after the school year has ended. They will start homeschool in the fall, along with their younger brothers and sisters.)We didn't think we'd adopt, but we heard that many kids older than the age of two or kids who are disabled or of a different race often get overlooked.

We have always wanted kids, and adoption seemed like the perfect opportunity to make a difference in some deserving kids' lives. That was what we did.We haven't looked back since. We are now a happy family, and we are loving life. Yes, life is often fraught with challenges or strife, but we try to make the best of it, go through the motions, try to be the best parents to our kids, try to be there for them when they are going through difficulties.

Our life is nothing but a grand adventure, and I dare anyone who says we can't be good parents to our kids just because they are disabled. Well, we have proved them wrong, and our kids are living, breathing testimonies to the Miracle of faith, perserverance, and most of all, love, guidance, and support.

Our kids have passed all expectations, even our more seriously disabled ones, and they are constantly surprising us with new skills, new words, new accomlishments that we didn't think were possible. They are the ones who are teaching us; we aren't the only teachers for them.Now we are members of an online adoption community run by a lady in Tennessee, and we have already made many friends. We get together twice a year for picnics or seminars, and we always have a good time. The kids enjoy meeting other kids from around the country, and we enjoy the fellowship and making new friends who are in the same situation as we are. We don't feel so alone, and we find out that parenting kids with special needs can be a rich, rewarding, thrilling experience.

No, not everyone can do what we do, but isn't it nice to know that there are people who care for kids who might otherwise never have a chance in life??