Inclusion can be scary

We fight for inclusion- we fight for our kids with different abilities to be given equal rights to education-to programs, in groups. I fight for people to see E-V before Down syndrome- and then you get the email " you have been invited to Reese's 8th birthday party" excitement- happiness- "inclusion" and then fear and panic sets in. I pray everyday that the kids in E-V's typical 2nd grade class see her for who she is, I also pray that E-V befriends the kids in her varied instruction program class or as they are called the "VIP's" ...for as much as I want the typical kids to treat E-V the same, in my heart I know its just as important that we as E-V's family & friends also befriend the kids that are in her VIP2 class and really all children- no matter what their abilities are. To see the world through a child's eyes and for me through E-V's eyes- she doesn't see difference or color or race or any type of different abilities - she just see's people who make her smile- laugh and help her through her days. I want so bad for E-V to be valued and excepted- every time we get that invite- I feel extreme anxiety- glad she was invited but fear of what's going to happen once we get there. The fear of the unknown- while other parents drop their kids off- I stay and try not to be that helicopter mom hovering over her every move but I know I have to be there to help reinforce her actions & behavior. When we walked into 5 Wits- we were running late- I could see a group of girls standing at the top of the stairs- the minute we walked in they all started yelling "E-V is here ...E-V is here..." my heart sank with happiness- as they came down to help her up the stairs..my mama heart melted into a puddle of love. As they conga'd around and did london bridge with her (her favorite game/song) until it was time to go down for the adventure. When it was time to go down - two of her friends took her by the hands and helped her down the stairs. During the adventure there was not one time that one of the girls- didn't come over and try to get E-V engaged, even Reese's brother came over to try to coax her to interact. She was just as happy hanging in the background watching the girls figure out the puzzles, light up the lights, come up with the light scheme to open the doors- it was quite the adventure for sure, but I never felt out of place. Once the adventure was over we went back up to the party room and had pizza, soda, brownies & ice cream- sang happy birthday. The girls love to ask E-V questions to hear her say "yah" over and over. Towards the end Reese said "who thinks E-V is the cutest" they all raised both of their hands including E-V. Reese's mom and other moms that came in to pick up their kids said "E-V is quite the celebrity"... This is the 2nd birthday party E-V has been invited to and just like the first- I left feeling like my heart was full - E-V's friends from school truly love her. Even Reese's dad said they are learning sign language from E-V. This mama will sleep peacefully tonight and will say a prayer - and thank God for putting people in our lives that help me see all of the positive things in this world.