rejections, my son invited some teens in
his art class to a pool party at our house.
I’m not quite sure what even prompted
the pool party idea after so many years
of being blown off. But for the first time
in about a decade, kids said YES! Does reading P U Z Z L E your child?
To these teens, accepting the in-
vitation probably meant nothing more
than making sure they didn’t have a
scheduling conflict that day. It was just
something fun to do on a Saturday.
But to my son, it meant the door of
friendship opened up to him — a door
that had been closed for far too long.
When these teens accepted the party
invitation, they did more than just give
their RSVP. Although they probably
didn’t realize it, when they said yes to
his party — they said yes to my son. Yes,
we accept you. Yes, we like you. Yes,
we have fun with you. Yes, we want to
spend time with you. YES! Bright people who struggle with reading could have dyslexia.
So, as I peek out the curtain watch-
ing it all play out, my knees buckle a lit-
tle as I’m hit with sheer joy and a flood
of gratitude. I watch my son’s face light
up, knowing he feels valued and accept-
ed by his peers, and I’m grateful. I listen
to the teens laughing, igniting a flicker
of friendship, and I am grateful. I am in
awe of my son and the courage it took
for him to do this, and I am grateful.
Our highly trained reading
therapists CAN HELP!
We teach struggling readers of all ages to read,
write, and spell with confidence.
Schedule an appointment today by calling: 716-541-0331
www.wnydyslexiaspecialists.com
It’s As Easy As
As I silently thank these teens who
said yes to my son, a powerful wave of
gratitude washes over me, almost like the
relief you feel when a doctor tells you
that your biopsy is benign. Whew! So
grateful. Although they probably don’t
even realize it, these teens opened their
hearts and minds, affirmed my son, and
created a little miracle they probably take
for granted — friendship. This gives me
hope for my son’s future and a feeling of
gratitude for the friendships that might
lie ahead.
Lisa Beach is a freelance journalist and
copywriter. Her work has been pub-
lished in The New York Times, Eating
Well, Parents, Good Housekeeping, USA
Today Go Escape, and dozens more.
Check out her writer’s website at www.
LisaBeachWrites.com.
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April 2019 WNY Family 49