Ah, Labor Day weekend. Time to go camping. So I hook up the trailer and start loading. Don't forget the wheelchair, and the walker so he can do some therapy. The leg braces, AFOs and special shoes. I pack the kids' bikes but skip the special bike. Don't forget to put the urinal in the truck. (It's just too hard to get him to the trailer bathroom). My family had a hard summer; we didn't do much more than trade off going to another state with my son for his surgeries (three in all). Major reconstruction of his legs was needed because of his cerebral palsy. We thought it would be fun to take at least one trip this summer. We went with friends who have six children. I watched as they all ate and dressed and trekked off to the bathroom together. And I thought, Wow! That is a lot of work. Then I thought more about it. I have three kids, one of which has special needs. Some folks look at us and say, "Wow!" I have come to realize lately that so much is relative to our situation. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by life-but so does every family. Ours is just different. While I had a hard time packing up for the weekend, others had a hard time dealing with the day's events. Does having a special-needs child make me tougher or somehow a better person? I don't think so; I think it just means I have a unique situation that requires me to do things differently than others would. I have bought things to make my life work, like a trailer and truck and wheelchairs, and even a house. We are just a family trying to make it though life and, hopefully, have a little fun along the way. By the way . . . we had a great weekend.