Wednesday December 4th - Be Upstanding

Called round at the parents this morning. After coffee, my mother had another go in the standing frame.

She is so much stronger; able to pull herself up from sitting in the wheelchair to standing by herself, and looking much more relaxed. Her balance is better, and she is less reliant on the support straps.

After the best part of fifteen minutes standing she was able to lower herself back to sitting by herself as well.

She can now move her left leg and foot.

Being able to walk any distance is off the edge of the horizon, but progressing to being able to stand and take a step or two is not an unrealistic hope for the future.

That's a double negative, I know, but this is not the place or a time for wild optimism. More a place for carefully qualified, and measured, realism. That way I can be continually surprised and full of rejoicing when she exceeds expectations.

It's like learning a new piece - especially for adult pupils. They always disappoint themselves and berate themselves for slow progress, instead of being cheered and encouraged by what they have achieved. When I'm learning a new pieces, I take the view that just managing to play a small phrase correctly is worth celebrating and gloating over, and worth doing over and over again, congratulating myself each time I get it right, rewarding myself with a cup of coffee or even a gold star! It may seem silly and infantile, but remember, "success breed success". Being able to do something that you have been working towards is worth crowing over, and doing over and over again to enjoy that feeling of achievement.