Mixed Blessings?

Shortly after we brought JR home, the chronic cough I get after a cold, the one that seems to last for months on end, was diagnosed as asthma. Usually well-controlled with daily medication, I still get flare-ups after the occasional bad cold. Like today. So asthma is very much on my mind (and in my chest).

After JR had been home for about a year, and we'd been through one respiratory infection after another (alternating with ear infections, of course), he was diagnosed with asthma. Like me, his asthma is usually well-controlled with daily nebulizer treatments (his TV time), although he still has occasional flare-ups associated with respiratory infections (and mold exposure, we think).

Anyway, this afternoon my friend and fellow adoptive mom raised a really good point that has stayed with me all evening. "Do you think," she asked, "that you were given your asthma to make it easier to relate to and raise JR?" This just makes so much sense to me.

I would also point out, though, that the fact that JR has asthma has made me a much better patient and much more compliant in treating my own condition. I want to model responsibility and treat him to respect and care for his body, in a way that is not second nature to me.

What else will this child teach me?