Not letting my fear limit him

As Samuel’s mum, i am constantly afraid and worried about outsiders. These are people who i know may not appreciate the uniqueness that is Samuel. These are people that have not taken out time to really know him. These are people that have not earned my trust. It’s difficult to strike a balance between being protective and encouraging him to develop relationships in the community

I revently registered Samuel for camping and that took ALOT of encouragement from my husband; he is the one that makes my over analyzing mind make sence:). Days leading up to the first day of camp, my anxiety went on over drive. What if he gets disrespected or treated less than my members or leaders at the camp? I had many ‘what ifs’ because i am always worried about how people interract with him. What if he defends himself again another person at the camp, will he be able to articulate to the leadership what actually happened. Alot of valid and invalid thought ran through my mind.

It took Tope’s encouragement for me to let him go that morning and Samuel’s first word when he came back was “Can I go in 2023”. As a parent, I am unapologetically over protective but as a parent of Samuel, i can be can be too extra.

Is my fear valid? YES. Experience over these many years has taught me to have this fear. It has taught me to be trust less. However, i need to find a balance.

Samuel continnue to be my greatest teacher and one of my GREATER blessings.