Jon’s social abilities are limited for several reasons, and this means we end up playing many more roles than for a standard, off-the-shelf kid. We both know that we are pillars in Jon’s life, but I’m often reminded that there is a third adult that Jon fully relates to and feels absolutely free to communicate with. My mom, herein known as Grandma.

Grandma has always been there for Jon. All of our parents have been incredibly supportive on this journey, but Grandma is the one on the ground, fighting with the troops. She and Jon have built a relationship through every part of his life. She babysits often (which is a huge deal: no matter how hard it is for your standard garden-variety parent to find babysitting these days, it is difficulty personified for us to find anyone who is willing and capable to stay with Jon). She dotes on him shamelessly. Spicy nachos, anyone? (Grandpa and Auntie Patti yelped when they absently tried some today)

She interrupted her snowbird holiday in Florida, flying up for a week just to be with us when we first got the news about Jon’s seizure activities. Three years ago, she sat with a sedated and/or screaming boy each evening after his hip surgery at Sick Kids, arriving daily at dinner hour to kick us out, insisting we go out to eat and take a little time to ourselves.

She slips us theatre tickets, and babysits those nights. After Grandma’s visits, Jon’s vocabulary is greater and more open.

I can’t describe the difference my mom has made in our lives, but I know that I, for one, would certainly be up mental instability creek without her. And Jon is incredibly enriched.

Now if we could only solve the new trend: Jon gets so excited about an impending visit that he can’t sleep the night before, and is totally fixated on her arrival. Lately, as his vision has developed, he looks for me at the front door when his bus pulls up in front of the house (ah, love), but on the last Grandma day, he looked bewildered and didn’t seem to see me and was bobbing around…that’s when I realized that he was looking for Grandma and he was assuming that I was blocking the view. Ah, Grandma love.