From time to time I think about a comment that one of my elementary school teachers wrote on my report card. It said, "something is wrong with Cathy, she doesn't talk." I really don't know why that comment has stuck with me all these years. Through a large portion of my school years, I was what you would call the "quiet" kid. At times, most definitely "shy." Those were the two "labels" most associated with me. I tried to keep my nose clean and not get into trouble. The other day, my daughter and I were watching a show called, "Toddlers and Tiaras." It's a show on the TLC Network that's a reality show for kids beauty pageants. Either a judge or one of the moms (I can't remember) was talking about the contestants being "facially gifted." That was a label I had never heard before in my life. When my daughter was a baby/toddler, I toyed briefly with putting her in beauty pageants. But, once I saw how much cash was involved for dresses, entry fees, etc. I decided it probably wouldn't be a good idea. I guess I'm one of these people that tries not to judge people by their looks. I judge people more by their actions and how they treat others. I've always thought that it's whats inside that counts. I think parents sometimes get hung up on labeling their kids. I read things like, "my son is the athlete in the family" or "my daughter is the brain." Doesn't that put a lot of pressure on their kids to live up to that label? When I tell my friends that I used to be quiet/shy they can't believe it! If only my old elementary school teacher could see me now. I would probably have the desk right next to her because I wouldn't stop talking! I'm so glad my "label" didn't stick with me!
We are heading towards 600 orders for Dominic's business. Since our long-term goal for Baked Goods By Dominic is having a "brick-and-mortar" and hire those with disabilities, it is essential and imperative that I continue to teach him all parts of the business. Since I prompted Dominic for so many years for speech, he has become "prompt dependent." What that essentially means is that he will look at me for a prompt, like, "what do you do next?" I do that one a lot. Dominic has been going to a private speech therapist for over ten years and she reminds me often that Dominic usually will know the answer, if I am patient and wait for him. That has been a very hard habit to break! Dominic has an incredible memory, so I put it to the test this morning. I didn't write out the steps, I wanted to see how much he could do completely on his own. We have a customer picking up his order today, but the only thing that had been done is putting the cookies into t...
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