When to use Make a Wish?

[homemademomma]

My dd is eligible for Make a Wish, and my ARNP suggested we use it soon while dd is still doing so well. However, I always thought we would wait until she was a little older, so that she would she would remember it clearly (she is only 5 now), and so that she could really decide what she wanted to do based upon her interests.

The problem with waiting is that is we run the risk of NOT being able to use Make a Wish at all, or having dd be too ill to enjoy it. DD has ataxia telangiectasia, which you can read about at www.atcp.org if you are interested.

Do any of you have experience with make a wish? I am kind of torn.

[Emmeline II]

I don't have any personal experience MaW, but there are some things I remember clearly about being 5 and photos/video help trigger memories. If you decide to do it now you could document it (video/photo) well, and have the video put on a DVD so she can watch it as often as she likes.

There are also businesses that edit home videos into "stories" instead of just a stream of everything you recorded.

Edited by Emmeline II - 7/17/11 at 8:09pm

[melmel2849]

Our DS is eligible for MAW too, and I really think it depends on the kid.  We have a friend with a five year old who has a serious love of airplanes and space.  He just saw the final launch of the space shuttle, and you can tell from the videos, pictures and his parent's descriptions that he truly loved his wish.  But he has an interest in something that most kids his age don't have. I think he won't have the same detailed memories as he would have had he been a little older, but his parents knew he was well now and this was an opportunity that they couldn't pass up. OTOH, I think I'll try to hold off until DS is a little older or until a bone marrow match is found.  I want his wish to be before a transplant, so if we transplant when he's still under 5, we'll do the wish then.

Personally, if I knew there was a chance of not being able to make the wish in the future, I'd do it now.