So I was listening to my favorite morning radio show this morning and one of the DJs got his wife on the phone and she related a story about how when she had breast cancer and was going through chemo and had lost all her hair, she was at the mall with her daughter, and a "mentally challenged" man yelled "Hey Baldy!" at her. Apparently her teenage daughter was mad about it and wanted to let the guy have it, but her mom explained to her that he couldn't help it and to just let it go.
I don't know . . . this story gave me kind of a queasy feeling. Is that going to be Finn someday, yelling inappropriate things at people in public places because he doesn't know better? And are people going to either (a) beat him up for it, or (b) charitably excuse him because he "can't help it"?
I'm sure there are no answers to this. Just something that's bothering me.
~~~
In today's mail I got a nice fat box from Amazon which contained the following:
Common Threads
Gross Motor Skills in Children With Down Syndrome
Fine Motor Skills for Children With Down Syndrome
Early Communication Skills for Children With Down Syndrome
Teaching Children With Down Syndrome About Their Bodies, Boundaries, and Sexuality
I have no idea when I'm going to find time to read all this. I think I may have to cut back on blogging in favor of reading :/
Adieu
-
After more than two years and 555 posts (556 counting this one!), I'm
saying goodbye to Adventures in Motherhood. I'm ready for a change, and
I've started ...
13 years ago
5 comments:
No, don't do it!
I have all of those books, but have not heard of that last one. You'll have to let us know how it is.
And that first stuff? I try very, very hard not to think that far in the future. I will make myself completely insane if I do.
I only have one of those books, Gross Motor skills... and it is a good one. Luckily, you only need to read little bits and parts when it is the appropriate stage. My ECI highly recommends it.
When I read your story at the top, it reminded me of walking through the mall with my younger sister, many years ago. She saw a little person and hollered out in great excitement "Mommy, look at that funny little man". We all cringed and the man just smiled and said, "That's okay, I am a funny little man". We all just stopped in our tracks and appreciated his response. It could have been so different, but it wasn't. My sister is "typical" and has stuck her foot in her mouth many times. Our kids will do the same. Try not to worry too far into the future. Finnian is unique and you will discover who he is as he grows. You never know what he might say, and might not say.
My nephew has Down syndrome and he is one of the most polite people I know. He is almost 18 years old and I hope and pray all three of my boys have his manners. I don't know if it was the way he was raised or if it's one of his characteristics of having DS but whatever the case, he is a true joy to be around and reminds his "typical" cousins how they should behave :)!!!
I have the middle three of those books. I've cracked them open a few times, but not recently. Mostly I think I'll absorb the info by osmosis, you know, like when you were a kid and had a big test so you stuck the book under your pillow in the hope that the words would magically enter your head, LOL.
I tend to think that a lot of people tend to give our kids (and probably adults) a "pass" on behavior. Kayla likes to run up and hug strangers and they always smile and say "it's ok" and I have to let them know that it's NOT okay, Kayla needs to behave just like other kids!
I also find it a little annoying that just because "little Johnnie" is "mentally challenged" he gets to act any way that he likes. We make matters worse by saying that he doesn't understand. There is probably more understanding than we give them credit.
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