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Every Day is Precious: Kid stuff helps a family feel normal again
Opinion by ROB PAYNE
It took a lot of work, but we got Marcy out to a movie several weeks ago.
Of course, it had to be a kids' movie we haven't given them the attention they deserve in a while so we saw Spy Kids 3D.
I guess it was an OK kids' movie but I don't recommend it. Although it was a good opportunity for me to catch up on some sleep. And it was kind of fun to wear the 3D glasses. Marcy even let a picture of her be taken and allowed it to be posted it on her site, www.everydayisprecious.com
The movie was chosen by our 9-year-old daughter, Darcy. Our 14-year-old son, Matt, is too cool to go to a kids' movie. We wanted Matt to go, so we suggested each of our kids should invite a friend. Matt reasoned that he and his friend could sit together and laugh at (not with) the movie. The cool teens sat close to the front so they could laugh in all the wrong places and go relatively unnoticed.
Like the rest of this part of our life, the important part of going wasn't the destination, it was the journey.
''He touched me.'' ''She's listening to my CD player.'' ''He called me short.'' ''She's such a cry baby.'' ''You need to ground him.'' ''Why don't you just grow up?''
When you hear this from kids around you, you may think of this noise as a disturbing nuisance we often did in the past. But hearing the kids talk like that, and hearing each talk to their friend about other friends and happenings, made our day feel more normal than it has in a long time.
We ''laughed'' and moved about the day as if everything was OK.
A few days later a friend asked Marcy to tell her, in one or two words, what it felt like to go to the movie. She didn't have to think about it. She typed ''free'' and ''normal'' on her speech synthesizer. We understood at least as well as anyone not in her position can.
It would have been easy for the parents of our kids' friends to not let their kids come. They could have thought it would have been too hard on us, too much trouble. They could have kept whatever plans they had. They could have wanted to shield their kids from seeing what we see.
Instead, they let us see what we used to see normal life.
If you know a person or family in need, think about loaning your kids to them. A little time with your kids may be like a little time machine, taking them back to a happy place.
Every Day Is Precious is a column to remind us to treat everyone we see today as if it could be the last time we see them. It is written by Rob Payne, whose wife, Marcy, was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) in August 2000. Now 40 years old, she has gone from winning 5 and 10K races to being quadriplegic and on a ventilator at home. For more about Marcy visit www.EveryDayIsPrecious.com. Readers may contribute to her care by sending donations to Every Day Is Precious, 2051 Harvington Drive, Franklin, TN 37069.
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