For My Son

Iain, Michele, and Max Rooney live in Kirkland, Washington. Max is almost four, and though his disability is undiagnosed, he is getting closer each day to walking. While he does not speak any words, he is vocal and chatty -- a very happy boy. The Rooney’s have been very supportive of the Kindering Center in Bellevue, Washington where Max attended school from the time he was nine months old.






 

For My Son
Iain Rooney

You have to change your lifestyle and stand up to the test
When you’re told your kid is "special" and different from the rest.
You’ve been dealt a losing hand, you think that life’s not fair
When you get a diagnosis that the doctors say is rare.

At first there’s trepidation, perhaps a little fear,
We suffer through some sleepless nights and maybe shed a tear.
When every single milestone he reaches really late
The parents search for answers to justify their fate.

You ask a million questions -- like will he ever walk?
What kind of school will he attend -- and will he learn to talk?
It hits you like a bombshell when you find your boy is slow,
But while the child develops, the parents also grow.

Initial disappointment can make you really sad
Until you discover that it’s really not that bad.
When you were on the outside you never even knew
How this affects the parents, and what the child goes through.

Pretty soon you start to learn that no one is to blame,
The last thing you deserve to feel is pity, guilt or shame.
Together we can face up to the challenge to be met
And try to come to terms with all the different goals to set.

You gain a new perspective that soon will start to show|
As you develop inner strength than no one else could know.
We welcome each accomplishment with overwhelming pride,
A sense of such achievement that just cannot be denied.

So try to be objective, and then you’ll start to see
A lot should be grateful for, I think you would agree.
That next time you feel down at heart, or think your world is stuck,
Recognize your happiness, cause we’re the ones in luck

Iain Rooney
Redmond, WA

Iain, Michele, and Max Rooney live in Kirkland, Washington. Max is almost four, and though his disability is undiagnosed, he is getting closer each day to walking. While he does not speak any words, he is vocal and chatty -- a very happy boy. The Rooney’s have been very supportive of the Kindering Center in Bellevue, Washington where Max attended school from the time he was nine months old.