A Lifetime of Love

Below is a story that was written by Emily Perl Kingsley for parents/caregivers of children with special needs upon receiving the child’s initial diagnosis. Welcome to Holland I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability to try to help people understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this: When you are going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michaelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, Welcome to Holland. HOLLAND?! You say. What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy. But there's been a change in the flight p...