I hope they know.

That when I drop my son off at school in the morning, I’m leaving a piece of my heart there with him.

I hope they know.

That I’m not just another worried mom with new school year jitters.

It’s so much more than that.

I’m leaving my vulnerable child at school and trusting them with his safety, his health, his dignity and his well being.

That is no easy feat my friends.

You see, most parents can ask their child about their day and have a conversation about the fun they had and new things they learned while at school.

They can also chat about the things that didn’t go so well or when something is bothering them.

Thankfully, we are able to do this with two of our three children and we are incredibly grateful for that.

However, when you have a child with limited communication or who is non speaking, you can’t do that.

We have to wholeheartedly trust the staff that work with our son and ask that they provide us with details from their day at school.

It’s one of the hardest things to do as his parents and it causes a lot of stress and anxiety.

We are extremely blessed to have an amazing team and a school district that works well with our son’s needs.

But I hope they know just how important and crucial their jobs are.

I hope they know that EVERYTHING they do matters.

And we appreciate all of it.

I hope they know that it’ll take time, like every year, to get into a routine and to feel a sense of comfort and relief.

I hope they will be patient with parents and caregivers like us as we navigate through big changes and so many unknowns.

I hope they know that a little compassion and grace goes a long way.

And we will kindly do the same for them.