It’s a few years since I shared in this blog. Angel and Soldier are now young adolescents and life is definitely taking a new path. Both are in High Schools and we are navigating our way through the COVID pandemic like everyone else.

Me, my thoughts are turning to adulthood. I’ve started a degree in Health & Social Care to help me plan for what the future might hold… it’s pretty scary! I’ve seen the quote above many times over the years about parents and the different path those of us with children with additional support needs take. It’s something that prays on our minds every single day. Today when studying lots of thoughts that have been travelling around in my head were brought to life as I read about transitions to adulthood for people with learning disabilities.

Making plans for the journey ahead….

What relationships do Angel & Soldier have? friends? Gosh this is a hard one.. kids they spend the day with at school, paid support… but friends? The 18 year old in my university case study only had her PA as her friend. Family friends had become more distant as she became older. School friends fell away as she moved onto College.. I can see we are on this road.. whoever thought I’d be reading guidance recommending considering a befriending agency to provide the social interaction most of us take for granted??

Creating an emergency plan… not many of us have to think about this? If something happens who steps in? How will Angel & Soldier be cared for?

Where will they live when we are not here? Care? Supported Living? Community? Private flat? Yesterday in the news 1 mile from where we live a young man with learning disability with the developmental age of a 6 year old was subject to 18 months of mental and physical abuse by a group of men who accessed his flat, used it for drinking, mentally tortured him, physically abused him, stole from him… this is someone who is really still a child in many ways… I struggle with the current Scottish policy of independent living for such vulnerable adults…Yes institutions are not something we want to return to (hiding learning disabled people from the public eye, destroying their individuality) but have we now gone too far?

Resurrecting this blog I plan to share as we travel through this transition…. suspect there will be tears of joy and tears of sadness 🥰😢 hope you will come on the road with us…..