A Best Friend

When Parker was a toddler, his best friend was his big sister. Then he started Children's Church and then Kindergarten and then Bible Quiz and became fast friends with a sweet girl only 3 months younger than he. Cassidy understood him, took care of him, and loved him just the way he was. And to this day, they have a special connection. But, since she now lives 3 hours away, they don't exactly get to hang out. When we moved to this house, surrounded by neighbors with sons Parker's age, I was excited. And he was quite popular with them...but they seemed to like him more than he liked them. Honestly, there were times I wondered why they kept coming back! My shy little boy had come out of his shell, and had no problem telling them when he'd had enough of their company and wanted them to go home. He seemed to tolerate instead of enjoy them, and I began to wonder if he was ever going to have a best friend his own age and gender.
Finally, he made friends with a boy named Josh, who was kind of quirky like Parker. They seemed to really enjoy the same things, and Josh's outgoing personality seemed to complement Parker's more sober approach to life. But then...Josh's family moved away. And we were back to square one.
The next year was a hard one. Parker was struggling more and more with his school work, he had a teacher who was difficult to work with, and he missed his friend. I was at my wit's end trying to figure out why my otherwise bright child couldn't seem to comprehend what he read, had atrocious handwriting, and would rather cut off his hand than try to write a short paragraph. He loved to watch things on Discovery channel and could tell me details like how much the blue whale weighs after watching a one-time documentary, but couldn't memorize the fifty states and their capitals after hours of studying. He has a large vocabulary, and used words like "impervious" correctly in a sentence when talking, but sometimes couldn't spell the simplest things. I talked with his teachers... the school counselor... anyone who would listen. But since his grades were okay (A's and B's) and his behavior wasn't a problem, no one seemed to think anything was wrong, except me. Finally, I stumbled upon a website about Dyslexia. And the more I read, the more I started saying, "This makes sense...yeah, he does that...that sounds just like Parker..." I felt relieved to find a reason, but worried about how he might react to the label of dyslexia. When I explained it to him and said, "I think this might be why some things in school are hard for you." he just looked at me with a relieved look on his face and said, "Oh, so I'm not just stupid?" My mother heart broke. He had known things shouldn't be this hard - had noticed that other kids got stuff like spelling tests without trying so hard - realized that everyone else in the class got their work finished before the bell, while he had hours of homework. And my brilliant child, who has an above average IQ, just thought he must not be as smart as everyone else. This is classic dyslexia - they often have high IQ's, are good problem solvers, and are great with their hands, but their brain just doesn't process words like everyone else.
Over the summer, we had him tested, and were given information on how to help him overcome this. I started a tutoring program with him, and we wrote a 504 plan to get him a few simple modifications in school (like allowing him to type his papers instead of handwrite them, and not counting off for spelling). But I was nervous. This was all new to us. And the school had never dealt with this before. And I had a new job in a different district, so I wouldn't be right down the hall if he needed me. But God had a plan.
Right before school started, we got a new Assisstant Principal in the high school. He moved here from Texas (a state known for their treatment of dyslexia in the school system) with his wife and three kids. Mr. Lewis and the children all have dyslexia. And the middle child is a boy....Parker's age....and his name is Josh.
The boys automatically hit it off. They're in all the same classes, and they get the same modifications. So Parker didn't have to feel weird about doing anything differently. They have tons in common, and even dress alike! The other kids ask them if they're twins, even though I don't think they really look alike at all. But they have a kindred spirit. They do all the things best friends do...they ask to go to each other's house any time they can...Parker asked a cute girl if she liked Josh, and Josh asked a cute girl if she liked Parker....Parker wore tall yellow socks to play basketball and Josh begged until his mom went and got some just like them.
And God didn't leave me out...Josh's mom, Christine, has been able to answer lots of my questions about dyslexia and help me figure out what I should do next. And she works at the school, so she's able to keep an eye on them both.
Parker has a new best friend. And my best Friend, who has been with me all along, has taken care of us once again.