Perspective: What my daughter’s Make-A-Wish trip taught me about parenting, and myself
By Aimee Christian April 11 “Parenting is a big responsibility,” everyone said, eyeing my growing belly and the baby already on my hip. “You think it’s hard with one? Two is a hundred times more work! You better be sure you can handle it.”
For so long I’d acted so stoic that people did not realize how serious our daughter’s disability was. I write about it, but I don’t talk about it much, and Freyja is so full of life that it’s hard to believe her condition is terminal. I don’t think people had any idea what we were dealing with until I posted something on social media about her qualifying for Make-A-Wish. She chose to go to Disney World to meet the princesses.
There were other acts of generosity. A former classmate I hadn’t seen in nearly a decade reached out to offer us her home and car for the days Make-A-Wish did not cover. Another old friend whom I hadn’t spoken to in more than 20 years messaged me after noticing how much my older daughter loved Harry Potter. Did I know that he worked at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter? He gave us free tickets and devoted an entire day to being our guide.
It wasn’t the Guest Relations person who presented us with a two-day park hopper pass for the four of us to keep the magic going a little longer, a gift that made me teary with gratitude. It wasn’t the volunteers at Give Kids The World — the resort where all Wish families stay — who are there to pay it forward the way someone had done for them when their terminally ill child was granted a wish.
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