Watching your children grow up is dizzying. It is difficult to observe every day of progress, every novelty in the lives of these small creatures in full development. So when it comes to taking stock, the path traveled seems unreal. It is this feeling that Caroline Boudet, journalist and mother of little Louise with Down syndrome, wanted to share in a very nice message published on Facebook: “Look ahead. Don’t forget behind”. She entrusts her pride to watch her daughter set off into the world of the “adults”. Because Louise just finished kindergarten chapter and is about to go to CP. An essential step in any parent’s life, and no doubt even more emotional for those whose children evolve at a different pace.
“Today should be the day I stop calling you ‘my little Louise’. You have spent your last hours on the kindergarten playground. And in two months you will be propelled “among the big boys†. on PC.
You won’t mind, but I think I’ll have a hard time letting go of the â€my little one†or “my baby†label. I’m already having trouble with your big brother about to take his first steps in college, so you… You who take your time and line up the years more than the others in the world of “little ones”, don†Ask not too much for me.”
Caroline Boudet campaigns daily for a different view of Down syndrome via the Louise & co accounts on Facebook and Extra Louise on Twitter. In her letter to her daughter, she confides in her feelings in all transparency, between joy and pride to see her daughter’s progress in a few years and sometimes frustration.
“And although I often swear inwardly at the slowness of your progress, this is precisely the opportunity for me to record in black and white the gigantic steps you have taken.
The little extra chromosome that slows down time often makes us forget about them. But for you later, when I read this to you in a few years, for me, for all the people who have kindly accompanied you over the past year, I am going to list the little ones and the great joys that you have achieved with your joyous step.
Through perseverance, on the part of Louise, her family, but also all the educational teams around her, the little girl has changed her way of life. Just putting on her coat, eating bits, climbing, playing with stickers, drawing… What seems so simple to other parents has long been an obstacle course for Caroline Boudet. So, to remind herself not to take anything for granted, the mother decided to list all her daughter’s claims.
A list that reminds her of the journey she has traveled and gives her the confidence to believe in the future of her grand daughter who will start primary school in September.
To read the full letter and follow Louise’s journey to the difference, visit the Louise & co Facebook page.