Song and Sniffles, Part 2

As promised I am writing about Hunt’s music/speech therapy today. 

We were just a few minutes late. Hunt ran into the class. I tip toed behind him hoping not to slip. It’s been raining and there are wet foot prints on the floor. The children are signing their greeting song.  I take a seat not too far from him. Hunt likes me to be near but still far enough away that he has his own space. I wait with baited breath, hoping Hunt will sing a little in group today.

The mood in the room is different. Oh, I see the founder of the group is here. That may change things a bit. Hunt is not accustomed to seeing her during meeting times. Even though he knows her, he’s still not used to her being here. The other therapist must have an appointment or is out sick today.  That’s okay we’ll just have to adjust.

My eyes pan around the room and I notice the chalk board where the lyrics are written. The lyrics…they’re different this week. Oh no, they changed from the chorus to other lines today. Hunt worked so hard to sing the chorus and now they’re going to go over lyrics he’s not familiar with. Okay, here we go… The piano sounds and the therapist begins to sing. She sings one line and then the children sing. Hunter does not open his mouth. She sings another line and again the children sing. Hunt still does not open his mouth. I can tell by the way he turns his head that he recognizes the song, but he wont open his mouth. I leaned forward and touched him on the shoulder…sing boo-boo. Instead he begins to wipe his eyes. He turns to me and I can see that his eyelashes are a little wet. He’s crying. My heart breaks. How sad this is, to see Hunt take the initiative to work so hard practicing the chorus only to be the caught completely off guard. There are too many differences today.

My heart sank lower and my head dropped. I felt myself getting angry but then…that’s not right. There’s nothing to be angry about. There is no fault here. I look at Hunt and I wonder if he feels bad that his friends know the song better than he does. I shake my head and try not to impose my thoughts upon him. It is enough to know he is sad. I am silenced. I put on a smile and continue encouraging all of the children. My son turns to look at me again and I smile at him. I know he can see the sadness in my eyes. I’ve got to get it together and be strong. This is not the end of the world.

A few minutes go by and I see my son begin to perk up. He’s talking a little, responding to the questions. This is good…very good. Another song begins and my son opens his mouth and he sings a little. What great joy, to hear his beautiful voice among the masses.  Sing boo-boo…sing. My pride erases the sadness that weighed so heavily on my heart. What a relief to see him smile. All is not lost. Hunt’s hard work is not in vein. He sang today. For the first time ever my son sang with other children. It has been a very good day.