Future thinking

Earlier tonight, Alison asked me, "When Daniel is older, will he still have special needs?"

"He may," I said. "We hope that he'll keep getting better, but he may he still have special needs."

"I don't want him to have special needs as an adult," said Alison.

Now my mind goes into fast-forward. Does Alison envision a day when she may be tapped to be responsible for Daniel's well-being? Will adult Alison have to take care of her adult brother as if he were her own child? This is certainly something that has crossed my mind more than once.

Then Alison interrupts my brain wander: "I just don't want his kids to make fun of him."