Hey Alexa!

I sat down on the couch last night with my computer while Greg was watching football and started going through emails. I opened one from the attorney helping us with our guardianship of Dawson, and saw more paperwork to fill out, more things to get notarized, and more things we have to pay for. None it made any sense to as to why this had to be so complicated.

I told Greg, "I wish we could just ask Alexa to explain all this to us, and tell us exactly what to do. She knows everything about everything!"

Later that night, I couldn't sleep. I was thinking about all the fun I had with Sophia at a Bridal Extravaganza we attended earlier that day, and then my over active brain thought about something else. I thought how amazing it would be if there was such thing as a "How To Figure Out All The SHIT You Have To Do When Your Special Needs Child Turns 18" Extravaganza. I realize that name is way too long and has profanity, but that is exactly what this whole process has felt like this year.

We have had Dawson on a wait list to receive basic services since 2008. This is the wait list we were told to get on when he was eight-years-old, and yes that wait list is that long. I have called every year to find out his place "in line" and when I called this year, I was told he is around number 12,000 and he hasn't moved from that spot in a while. Why? Because I was told by the guy on the other end of the phone, that Texas has stopped funding this service for a while. I was speechless. We are actually on so many wait lists, I forget which ones we even signed up for so many years ago, that we still have years to wait on.

We have spent thousands on the guardianship process. We had to hire an attorney to represent us to ask the court if we may continue to care for, and make decisions for our OWN child once he turns 18. To make it more comical, Dawson will receive a court appointed attorney that he will meet with and "discuss" the process. Good luck with that one! All this time and money spent for two parents that simply want to care for their adult child that no one is either protesting about or fighting to take over being his guardian. P.S. Feel free to DM me or Greg I if your interested!

I can't even go into the process of dealing with Social Security for Dawson to be able to at least receive SSI. The average wait time when I call you ask? Two and a half hours. I am no stranger to filling out forms when it comes to him, but these forms might as well be in another language. I think this might even be on purpose to make people give up because these forms are so complicated and intimidating, thus the wait time to talk to a human for help.

At the Special Needs Extravaganza in my mind, there would be booths set up with friendly faces, happily answering your questions while you sip champagne. Forms would be explained to you, Social Security would would have reps with tiny samples of cake, attorney's would be there to offer their guidance free of charge for people that can't afford it, and there would be too many quality day program booths to choose from. And we can't forget the photo booth that will capture our smiling faces, as we leave feeling armed and ready for our child's future free from anymore sleepless nights about what lies ahead.