Sometimes, I am struck by what a brave, strong human being my son is becoming. I am often thinking how amazing he is. He had to write a reflection essay on a different kind of hero. I suggested he write one about his grandfather.

He wrote the following:

"Different Kinds of Heroes" by R. Schreiber

Most heroes fight crime, are famous, play sports, fight fires, help people get well when they’re sick, or fight in wars. My parents are different kinds of heroes.

My dad is my hero because he taught me how to do multiplication, division, powers and a little calculus after I learned addition and subtraction. He's made math a blast for me! He taught me how to read with Pokemon cards and play with me. He's has always supported me. He's taught me computer commands, which helps me with my Alphasmart and homework. He's been nice to me and taken care of me, even though he’s not my biological father. He wakes me up at 7AM every morning during the week, even though he doesn’t like to get up, to give me my medication. I love him and he loves me. He’s adopting me this spring.

My mom is my hero, too. My mom fought the school tooth and nail for my I.E.P. I'm happy about that because otherwise, I would be getting marked down for my handwriting because I have cerebral palsy. If I didn’t have my I.E.P., I probably wouldn’t even know what an Alphasmart is. I would also have to rewrite my assignments instead of typing them into the Alphasmart. She's shown me how to collect stamps and to take care of them; I have over two hundred stamps. She's helped me to learn how to write a story. She has helped me learn to cook things like macaroni and cheese and spaghetti. I am grateful for that because I probably wouldn't be able to cook or know how to make food. She has pushed me to become smart by doing things like telling me to read at night instead of watching television. She will help me with things I don't understand like grammar, spelling, and English. I'm grateful for that, too. She has given me skills. I love my mom because of the things she does. She loves me.

My parents aren’t Batman or Superman or firefighters or doctors, but they make a big difference to me. That makes them different kinds of heroes.

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Bear-bear, you're my hero, too.