The best mother's day present ever

I rarely write about work since I feel like I owe the families I work with their privacy.  You never know who might read something and figure out who it is you're talking about.  But this has something to do with one of the reasons I decided I want to become an Early Interventionist.  I was doing my student teaching hours for my Early Intervention Assistant certificate and at this particular program it was time for the children to be picked up.  I could hear the teachers talking about a surprise they had for one of the mothers.  All she wanted was to hear her son say "mom".  That's it.  Something mother's all over the world take for granted every day.  I myself had wished my kids would stop saying it. Some mom's never get to hear it.

So back to the story, the mom they were waiting for comes through the gate and a teacher brings her son outside to greet her.  His face lights up and he runs toward her shouting "mom! mom! mom!" I watched the mom drop to her knees tears in her eyes as her son repeated the one word she had longed to hear.  I thought to myself that if I could do that, for just one other person, then that would just be the most awesome thing ever.  That settled it for me. I knew what I was supposed to do. Help children find their voices and their families the joy of knowing that all the work and faith and love is worth one word, and so much more.

Now, one of the little girls I work with is in a similar situation.  Her older sister had language before she was a year old. So it's frustrating for mom, she just wants to hear her baby's voice.  For months we have been working to formulate a sounds, just to get this child to make eye contact and understand that her voice carries so much power.  A little over a week ago, I arrived for our session and mom met me at the door.  "She said mom!  I was talking to her and said mom, and she repeated me! She said mom!"  She couldn't stop smiling.  It was a little early for mother's day, but I'm sure she didn't mind.  Not only did her daughter find her voice, but she found it to say the word her mom had been waiting to hear.

Happy Mother's Day