Birthday boy

My beautiful son turned 15 on Tuesday. When I think back to the very hard years when he suffered from Reactive Attachment Disorder I'm in awe of how far we have come as a family. This boy clawed his way to sanity an inch at a time and has grown into a funny, kind, sweet young man who anyone would be proud to call a friend. He still has lots of challenges in life. He has Epidermolysis Bullosa as well as a mild developmental disability. It is not likely he'll be capable of completely independent living, but given how far he has come and the sheer tenacity it's taken him to get here, I wouldn't count it out completely. He's a great kid, and I adore him, and I'm so glad that he's mine. He forced growth in me that I wouldn't have believed I was capable of either. He taught me patience, and the meaning of unconditional love. He certainly forced me to examine my own temper, my own actions, and to dig deeper and do better when I thought I couldn't anymore. It's been a wild ride, but it's worth every second of it.

Walt in 2003

Walt in 2013