via Daily Prompt: Premature

27 weeks and 5 days was as long as he could contain himself…he was in a hurry and he wasn’t waiting around!  I hardly got to experience being pregnant, very different to my previous pregnancy which reached term plus one week.  Our tiny, unexpected early arrival weighed in at a see-through 2lb 9oz and spent two months in neonatal care.  He was let home to us at 4lbs weight, a few days before Christmas; the best Christmas present ever!  I slept on a mattress on our kitchen floor for months to ensure his little body was kept sufficiently warm, feeding him every two hours.

But he decided early on that premature was not going to be a word in his vocabulary.  He soon caught up with children of his age and cast off the ‘pre’ revealing a ‘mature’ character, deeply sensitive to the pain of others.  He went out of his way to include shy or excluded children into his circle of friends.  He owned up to things he didn’t do in school, taking the blame to save his class suffering the consequences because the guilty child hadn’t the guts to own up. This strength of character was something to envy and soon meant he was a target for bullies.

He has struggled through a deeply challenging teenage stage and a school system that all but failed him but we weathered the journey as a family unit and now know that the best learning comes from the greatest challenges! He has a mature outlook on life way beyond his years.  He is warm and kind, he cares for the environment and animal welfare.  He reads Echart Tolle and Thich Nhat Hanh.

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He faces exams shortly which have the power, in one fell swoop to decide his immediate future but I know beyond doubt that he is more than the outcome of any exam.

He has an innate character that many mature adults never achieve and which I know will help him fulfill his purpose in life!

Thank you for reading and if your son or daughter has struggled because of bullying, please share your experiences with me in the comments below.

Much love,

Marie xx