Lately, Tatum and I have been watching Love on the Spectrum. What I didn’t expect was how deeply she would connect with it. We love to root for them, laugh with them, and understands them in a way that feels so natural. Tatum has always had a soft spot for people with special needs. She volunteers at church with the special needs kids, and she has friendships at school with peers on the spectrum. She sees people for who they are, not how the world labels them. I LOVE THAT.
Sometimes, I honestly can’t help but wonder about her brain. I wouldn’t call her special needs.
But I would absolutely call her…special. Her imagination is alive in a way that most people slowly lose as they grow up….but not her. Not even at 13.
She still collects things. Well, I used to think it was just lots of j__k, but to her, they all have meaning.
Her dad (their Sunday tradition) recently bought her a bright green stuffy named Calvin. When she got home, Calvin didn’t stay just a stuffed animal….He got transformed
She made him a hat. A bed. A phone. A pillow.
And now Calvin has a place right alongside all of her other “special stuffs” (thanks to Dad for hanging that net that now holds her treasures).
She is fully, unapologetically herself, and I love that about her.
This weekend we went to the bird store with Ollie to get his wings clipped,
and while we were there, Tatum danced with a cockatoo. Just being her silly self.
Later, she went to Hayden’s birthday party. These friendships…Hayden, Liam, Lincoln have been part of her life since kindergarten. It’s just so great.
I just feel grateful.
So grateful for this kid.
And her brain.