Pride (The Good Kind)

On Friday we took Henry down to Mary Bridge Hospital in Tacoma. He had an appointment to have his hearing retested by a pediatric audiologist. The first hearing test that he had as a one and a half year old was not pleasant: He was terrified of the procedure. The audiologist was not on her best game that day. And we were still becoming acquainted with the tests and exams that our son had to experience as a result of his newly diagnosed syndrome. That day was awful.

 But enter now a new day, with an older Henry and a different audiologist with pediatric experience and a warm personality. She turned the exam into a game for Henry, doing her best to provide an atmosphere of encouragement and fun. She had me sit with Henry on my lap for the test. We were in a sound deadened room with the audiologist in an adjoining control room. Through speakers mounted on the wall, she would play various sounds at varying decibels for Henry to hear. These sounds came from either the left or right, in order to test both ears. When he identified the test sound, Henry was instructed to put a colorful toy ring around the neck of a stuffed toy animal that he was given to hold, indicating that he had indeed heard the test sound. The result: He passed this test with flying colors (the earlier test had been judged inconclusive).

  I am very thankful for the results. And I am really thankful that we had a talented doctor to conduct this test. But most of all, I experienced on that day a great feeling of pride for my boy as he sat on my lap for that test. I witnessed his earnestness as he tried to complete the task before him. To see how much he had grown and developed in the time since the previous test was a wonderful reward. To watch him follow directions and work with others gave me a pride that I had not known before. I experienced a new glow of joy for my boy. The good kind of pride.