Welcome to the Netherlands

***This is a piece I have NOT written myself. I lent it from a community for parents of childern with special needs, which I am a member of called Foreldrehjelpen.com***

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People tend to ask how it’s like to have a handicapped child, here is a story to explain to the ones that hasn’t this unique experience, so that they can imagine how this feels.

When you’re expecting a child, it’s almost like planning a fantastic trip to Italy. You buy guide books and make big plans of what to see and do. Colosseum, Michelangelo, Pompeii. And you start to learn a bit of the Italian language. After months with eager and exciting planning and expectation, the day is finally there. You pack your bags, sets of to the airport and everything is just fine.

Hours later, when the plane lands, the air hostess takes the microphone and says: “Welcome to the Netherlands” You’re startled “The Netherlands?” you’ll say. “I didn’t book for the Netherlands! I was meant to go to Italy! My whole life I’ve dreamt of going to Italy!!”

But the route has changed, the plane has landed in the Netherlands, and there you’ll have to stay. The most important is after all, they didn’t take you to an awful, dirty and polluted place. It’s just somewhat different. So you’ll need to buy some new guide books, and you’ll have to learn a new language, and you’ll have to meet a lot of people you never would have met have you gone to Italy.

It’s just another place. Maybe not as fancy as Italy, but it’s more quiet. And when you catch your breath, you’ll start noticing the beautiful things around you. The Netherland has windmills; it has tulips and even Rembrandt.

But everybody you know is busy travelling to and fro Italy and brag about the fabulous times they have there. And for the rest of your life you’ll say: “Yeah, well that was where I meant to go......” And the pain will never ever quite disappear, because the loss of a dream is a huge loss.

BUT if you spend your life to grief never getting to Italy, you’ll never quite be free to ENJOY the BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL and EXTRAORDINARY things about the Netherlands”