It only seemed like yesterday my son, J was born. Such a happy and affectionate child, so cheerful and full of life. He used to love his baths, playing in the water, watching it going down the plug - the 'whirlpool' as he called it.
He used to love Teletubbies, Pingu and Thomas the Tank engine. He always loved drawing and used to draw pictures of me, and loved making cards for my birthday. He didn't say much before the age of two but it didn't worry me as I knew he was bright as a button.
He started a local nursery attached to a school when he was two and a half. He wasn't really ready though and I didn't realise this at first. Due to his speech difficulties he became frustrated easily and had the odd temper tantrum. He would also get excited when asked questions and would shout out instead of putting his hand up. When I went to see the nursery teacher, she basically implied he would never attend mainstream school due to his behaviour. To say I was upset and outraged was an understatement. I took my son out of the nursery and put him into a less formal playgroup, where he blossomed, with support.
As he got older, I almost dreaded the day he was about to start school. I must admit I shed a tear, on his first day at the local infant school, whilst he was happy to go in.
Due to his speech difficulties, there were some ups and downs and it wasn't easy at first, but slowly his speech improved.
Every day before he went to school we would cuddle up on the sofa under a blanket keeping warm, enjoying the fresh smell of Fairy from the blanket and watch the TV together. This was our morning ritual.
I knew he was/is incredibly talented and creative and I always encouraged this at home as well, every spare minute he was creating a new masterpiece, at first his dabs of paint looked more like just what they were, dabs of paint but as he got older he refined his skills and became accomplished at painting and drawing people.
My son is now in the sixth form but I will let you into a little secret. We still have our hugs on the sofa in the morning. He may now be towering over me, he may have had a couple of girlfriends in the past, he may now have size 10 feet but he's still my little boy. I won't embarrass him any further by posting an up-to-date photo of him though ...
He was away on holiday when his GCSE results came through. They were being posted to the house, and so I was waiting eagerly for them to come that morning. Eleven o' clock came and they still hadn't arrived. I started pacing, walking up and down the streets trying to find the postman! I finally tracked him down, apparently the post was still in the sorting office. I sprinted over to the sorting office and explained the situation and luckily it was there. I couldn't wait to open the envelope and ran back home... as I opened the envelope tears were streaming down my face. My lovely boy, who was told he wouldn't attend mainstream education at two and a half had done brilliantly - nine GCSES at grades A to C, and an I.T qualification, I couldn't believe it!
I rang him and he was so happy. He spent hours getting extra maths lessons and he actually had a B grade in Maths as well as three other subjects and an A * in Art. My heart was beating so fast, as I was so proud of him.
Last year I was also incredibly proud when he was nominated for and won a special award in his school for Art. The memorial award in memory of a child who died early who had a talent for art, was for his talent in oil painting. Again I must admit I took some tissues when he collected his award.
He is now in his final year at school studying A levels. He hopes to work in the film industry in the future working on special effects and motion graphics. When we were in LA last year I joked I hope one day to see him collecting an Academy Award for special effects at the Sony Theatre in Hollywood. J laughed this off but one day this could actually be a reality.
Fairy non bio have a campaign called the #PowerofSoft. The purpose is to encourage parents to embrace every single moment with your children before they grow up. You can check out their video here.
Children grow up fast, enjoy those moments with them, enjoy those cuddles in the morning, nurture their talents and their abilities and always believe in them, even when others don't.
He used to love Teletubbies, Pingu and Thomas the Tank engine. He always loved drawing and used to draw pictures of me, and loved making cards for my birthday. He didn't say much before the age of two but it didn't worry me as I knew he was bright as a button.
He started a local nursery attached to a school when he was two and a half. He wasn't really ready though and I didn't realise this at first. Due to his speech difficulties he became frustrated easily and had the odd temper tantrum. He would also get excited when asked questions and would shout out instead of putting his hand up. When I went to see the nursery teacher, she basically implied he would never attend mainstream school due to his behaviour. To say I was upset and outraged was an understatement. I took my son out of the nursery and put him into a less formal playgroup, where he blossomed, with support.
J as a baby
As he got older, I almost dreaded the day he was about to start school. I must admit I shed a tear, on his first day at the local infant school, whilst he was happy to go in.
Due to his speech difficulties, there were some ups and downs and it wasn't easy at first, but slowly his speech improved.
Every day before he went to school we would cuddle up on the sofa under a blanket keeping warm, enjoying the fresh smell of Fairy from the blanket and watch the TV together. This was our morning ritual.
I knew he was/is incredibly talented and creative and I always encouraged this at home as well, every spare minute he was creating a new masterpiece, at first his dabs of paint looked more like just what they were, dabs of paint but as he got older he refined his skills and became accomplished at painting and drawing people.
J starting school
My son is now in the sixth form but I will let you into a little secret. We still have our hugs on the sofa in the morning. He may now be towering over me, he may have had a couple of girlfriends in the past, he may now have size 10 feet but he's still my little boy. I won't embarrass him any further by posting an up-to-date photo of him though ...
He was away on holiday when his GCSE results came through. They were being posted to the house, and so I was waiting eagerly for them to come that morning. Eleven o' clock came and they still hadn't arrived. I started pacing, walking up and down the streets trying to find the postman! I finally tracked him down, apparently the post was still in the sorting office. I sprinted over to the sorting office and explained the situation and luckily it was there. I couldn't wait to open the envelope and ran back home... as I opened the envelope tears were streaming down my face. My lovely boy, who was told he wouldn't attend mainstream education at two and a half had done brilliantly - nine GCSES at grades A to C, and an I.T qualification, I couldn't believe it!
I rang him and he was so happy. He spent hours getting extra maths lessons and he actually had a B grade in Maths as well as three other subjects and an A * in Art. My heart was beating so fast, as I was so proud of him.
The Joker by J (at age 15)
J's talent for art is exceptional. He is a brilliant artist and uses a fine brushing technique with oils to create lifelike paintings of film stars and real people, as well as being interested in fantasy and science fiction art.
He is now in his final year at school studying A levels. He hopes to work in the film industry in the future working on special effects and motion graphics. When we were in LA last year I joked I hope one day to see him collecting an Academy Award for special effects at the Sony Theatre in Hollywood. J laughed this off but one day this could actually be a reality.
Fairy non bio have a campaign called the #PowerofSoft. The purpose is to encourage parents to embrace every single moment with your children before they grow up. You can check out their video here.
Children grow up fast, enjoy those moments with them, enjoy those cuddles in the morning, nurture their talents and their abilities and always believe in them, even when others don't.
* a sponsored post, all words, opinions and true stories are my own
