AcCoMpLiShMeNtS...

I am so proud of Matthew. We went to the pool today. We were only going to spend an hour there, but there were lots of the kids friends there and I didn't have the heart to pull them away from them. The twin boys from across the street were there and were going off the diving board. I know Matthew REALLY wanted to and he DID! FOUR TIMES!!! I knew it would be peer pressure that would get him to do this. We wanted to do what they were doing. I don't know if those reading this realize what a HUGE accomplishment this is. Matthew is afraid of heights. He is afraid of being out of control, and he is unsure of himself in deep water that he can not touch in. All of these things complicate his ability to go off the diving board. But I got in the water and was waiting for him. He was scared to DEATH. Each time seemed to set off his anxiety more and more. By the fourth time, he was grabbing his chest, spent about 10 minutes trying to get the nerve to drop off the board. People were gathering to watch him and giving him encouragement. From adults to kids, "You can do it, Matthew", "Nothing will happen, Matthew" and "GO MATTHEW" were the chants from people who know him. There are several teen girls that work summer play ground for all the kids and they just ADORE him. They all gathered and were telling him he could do it. He DID! He has wanted to do this for years and HE DID IT! I am just near tears because I know what this means for him....