A big thank you for all the little things

By PALS parent Jo

Everyone’s experience of 2020 is different.

Some have enjoyed the lockdowns and relished the break from dashing here there and everywhere.

Others have had financial hardships and the sudden imposition of changes to the daily routine has had a negative impact on their mental health.

For our family it’s been fairly equal mixture of all of the above. However, one thing that has remained constant is the support from PALS.

Helen and her team have skilfully picked a pathway through all the rules, ropes and rigmarole to maintain the support and connection with the children and young adult members of PALS, safely and mindfully throughout this crazy year.

The large group gatherings may have been temporarily put on hold, but my son Henry has really enjoyed seeing PALS staff Helen and Jess as well as his extra special friends from PALS over the summer.

The little walks, the monster hunts, the Zoom meetings have meant he has kept that crucial connection going, kept the friendships going, and kept a little bit of his own independence going and that means the world to us as a family.

Friendships can be hard to maintain for any 6-year-old and sometimes trickier still when you add in some developmental complications.

And yet our son “loves everyone on my whole earth” in his own words and reminding him and reaffirming his own friendships through little experiences is vital to us.

So a huge thank you to PALS from us, please don’t ever be in any doubt that the seemingly little things you do have a big impact and, for that, we are eternally grateful.