Three Wishes for Jeffrey

In six months and fourteen days Jeffrey turns 18.  I have three wishes for him as he transitions into adulthood and continues to grow into a wonderful young man who can make a difference in the world:

• Wish #1:   that he continues to deepen his sense of himself in the world
• Wish #2:  that he continues to develop a community with breadth and depth that truly helps to bring out the best in him and whom he can rely on for good counsel
• Wish #3:   with self-awareness and strong community as a foundation, he develops a meaningful approach to decision-making in his life and work

If you are a parent, mentor, or friend to any 17 1/2 year old, you may have similar wishes.  In fact, in my role as program manager for next generation leaders at a high tech life sciences company, I have similar wishes for these typically 30-45 year-olds who have the capability, attributes and experience to be senior leaders.

But Jeffrey is no ordinary teen about to become a young man.  Jeffrey is on the autism spectrum and has severe communication delays.  Picture a six foot Curious George who is endearing, bright, adventurous, and fast.   My husband and I are at a critical decision-making point in our lives:  do we go the ‘typical’ route and setup a limited conservatorship for him at age 18 — a court will make the decision to take away his legal rights if we take this fork in the road?  Or, do we step back and consider #1, #2 and #3 above so that we make the best decision for our tremendous son, Jeffrey.

This is no simple story…we are beginning a journey.  Come along if you would like….I will be sharing where we have been and where we are going.