The way I see it, there are exactly two ways to live life with Ethan. One is to accept that the nature of his disabilities make him so difficult and unpredictable that it’s just not worth doing much of anything with or for him.

The other option is to forge ahead and hope for the best each and every time and accept that there will be a lot of unsuccessful attempts at certain activities. I choose this. It’s hard. But when it’s good – it’s REALLY good. The prom was REALLY good.

First, he decided all on his own that he wanted to rent a tux rather than the sensible dress clothes I wanted to buy him. Then Dennis decided that he should go to the prom in style. We surprised him with a 2014 Mustang convertible in black – to match his duds.

I was nervous (and touched) when our family members wanted to come and take photos before he left. It was a lot of pressure not knowing how he would react to the whole process.

He did great.

He kept saying “Thank you, Dad!” He was enthralled. He loved the ride and was excited to see all of his friends. I sent Dennis to pick him up at 9. He wasn’t ready to get off the dance floor until 10.

Sometimes Ethan surprises us – and I’ll hold out for that each and every time.