24 Years and 24 Pieces of Advice

Today is my 24th Birthday! I am one of those people that gets SUPER into my birthday; it doesn't matter how much older I seem to get-celebrating a birthday is a whole month ordeal. You could only imagine how annoying it is. But in honor of my 24th birthday, I wanted to provide 24 Pieces of Advice for your Apraxia Journeys, for both parents and children alike:

1. Enjoy the non-Apraxia moments

2. Apraxia is a diagnosis, it is not the only characteristic of a child

3. Speech therapy is a pain to drive to and to pay for, but for your child it's their biggest homework assignment and biggest task going on in their young life

4. The best of friends are those that don't see Apraxia

5. Family: You may not be able to pick them, but you can teach them (or at least try to open their eyes)

6. Bullies will always exist

7. Apraxia allows you to find the good eggs and the bad eggs

8. The greatest revenge against the doubters is being successful and working twice as hard, despite the setback of Apraxia

9. Apraxia gives a work ethic to a child at such a young age, by adulthood they don't even consider most things "work." Working hard just comes naturally after everything they went through as a kid

10. You find the mentally and emotionally strongest people in this Apraxia community

11. You realize that automatic perfection isn't as appreciated as overcoming your obstacles

12. You learn that to appreciate the good, you need to go through some bad

13. You appreciate the smallest of successes and no longer take for granted things, such as, talking and tying shoes

14. You find a voice you never thought you had

15. You appreciate this voice so much, you wish to give others their own voice too

16. You get upset when people use their given voices for evil

17. You get upset when people don't fully appreciate their naturally-given voice

18. You learn that for each understanding and empathetic adult out there, there's always an idiotic and uninformed adult that seems to exist just to ruin your or your child's day

19. Sometimes people will never understand

20. You have a whole new level of understanding for those with "special" needs

21. Special does not mean stupid

22. Being different doesn't make you any better or worse than others

23. Being typical and being like everyone else though is terribly overrated-if everyone were the same, then Batman and Barbie would talk the same (Weird....)

24. Apraxia is a blessing and a curse-it's all a matter of perspective