Party plans

Maggie's birthday is approaching. She will be 15 on March 3.

Many parents of disabled children will tell you that the birthday is hard. I am one of them.They are a reminder of many things. The day she was born was not a happy day. And milestones marking that day are likewise not happy.

It was more difficult when she was younger because parents use birthdays as developmental milestones as well. "He was walking before his first birthday" "She was speaking in full sentences by 2" "He could read before 5,"etc etc. When your child isn't hitting any of those milestones, reminders are hard.

By age 15 those measurements are long behind us. In fact there are some blessings to Maggie not being a typical teenager. I NEVER get attitude. Maggie has two speeds - happy and quiet. She's not moody or sad. If something hurts she cries and she occasionally gets mad, but generally it's either because she's tired or frustrated because she cannot make her wants understood. There's no drama - well at least not teenage drama. (WE do have a lot of medical drama).

This year we are going to party. We considered various options for her birthday. Bowling is fun, but the only place with the adapted bowling doesn't have parking and it's a hassle to get to. So that's out. Other options were likewise unworkable. We decided to go with the basic, party at the house. We have a lift so the wheelchairs can get in easily. It will be a dancing and pizza party. Maggie's friends from school can come over and we'll have dance music for them. (I am consulting with my 13 year old niece for the right mix of music) I can burn cd's for the kids as party favors. Steve can make his pizza dough and the kids can make their own pizzas. There could be as many as five wheelchairs in here, so we will have to move the furniture, but we should do that anyway for a dance party, right?

It will actually be a developmentally appropriate party - 13-15 year olds eating pizza and listening to music.

Hmmmm. Everything evens out eventually.

Musical suggestions welcome.