Q 45) Palmer’s last pages talk about the unending concern of parents:
“The parents of kids with developmental disabilities can never put their full weight down, never completely relax and enjoy the ride where their offspring are concerned. That’s still the case for us with Ned, and it always will be…
Some kind of independent living still seems unlikely, but once upon a time so was the idea that he would go off to a job in the morning. We’ll work on the living arrangements together, because eventually we know he’s not going to have us around. He’ll have to be somewhere…
Once before I mentioned the Bravo Channel show Inside the Actor’s Studio, where James Lipton interviews actors and directors about their work. He always concludes with the same question. Lipton’s big finish is, “If heaven exists, what do you want God to say to you when you arrive?” Of the dozens of these shows I’ve watched, none of the performers who are also parents has ever given the answer that seems so obvious to me.
So let it be my big finish now. I want God to say to me, “You can stop worrying. I’m going to watch out for Ned. He’ll have a great life, and be happy, and every day he’ll be glad he’s alive.” pp 314-315
Do you have a plan in place for when you’re no longer here? What arrangements have you made?
What is your overall reaction to “Adventures in the Mainstream?”
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