Alethea Mshar, a mom of three, knows that her 15-year-old son Alex won’t let his Down Syndrome diagnosis stand in the way from his independence. But like every other mom, Alethea couldn’t help but worry over what the universe has in store for her son.
In a Facebook post, the busy mom detailed how her entire outlook changed one morning.
“Alex wants to be independent; to live on his own, maybe with a spouse. As such, our goal has been to prepare for him to make this happen,” she wrote. “I sometimes (often) wonder if he can do it. I worry about the what ifs and the innumerable steps between now and then.
I’m concerned that we aren’t teaching him enough or that he won’t learn it all. ”
“Alex had gotten everything started this morning on his own. Both for himself and his brother. ”
She then explained that she was just having one of those chaotic mornings that parents know all too well.
“This morning I had just returned from a family wedding in Colorado with a cold and Mike was out of town for work,” she said. “The alarm went off, I shut it off and the next thing I knew it was 31 minutes later. A mere 20 minutes before we had to be out the door. I panicked. ”
As soon as Alethea realized what time it was, she made a mad dash down the stairs.
“I had slept in sweatpants and a tank, so I threw on my sweatshirt as I ran downstairs in a tizzy, mentally prioritizing what to do first,” she said. “With confusion, I surveyed the scene that I entered. Ben my other son sitting at the table with his breakfast, and Alex, fully dressed and emptying the dishwasher. ”
Suddenly, her go-to panic mode didn’t seem necessary anymore.
“Alex had gotten everything started this morning on his own,” she wrote. “Both for himself and his brother. He knew what to do, and he rescued our morning. All I had left to do was tie up the loose ends. There will be ups and downs along the way, but this guy is on his way to independence. I couldn’t be more proud. ”
