As I write this morning, my house is loud. Big boys are playing a video game. Em is jumping around with his brothers. Ande is sitting babbling and shrieking, excited to see his brothers excited. The cat and dog are play fighting. The dishwasher and laundry are starting their very full day of work. Coffee is cooling next to me and we have zero commitments for the day. It's good.
Yesterday we got to see my cousin and her new husband for an impromptu lunch date as they traveled through on their way to their honeymoon destination.
Yesterday we also took part in a Buddy walk benefiting the Down Syndrome Society and the Spread the Word to End the Word movement. It was a really fun morning with about 5,000 other people enjoying the gorgeous weather in the park with us.
It was challenging to try and explain to the Big boys about Down Syndrome. Matt wanted to classify the genetic disorder into strictly either a good or bad thing. Trying to get my super logical, scientific, one-track-minded child to think outside very linear boundaries is a challenge. But, lucky for us, he and Nic are very good at observation. And it was easier for them to SEE how Down Syndrome effects a person than have me explain it. And by see I don't mean just observe that people with Downs look different. I mean the boys saw that there were a bunch of kids running around, playing at the park, swinging, climbing, singing, hanging with friends, hanging with family, playing fetch with their dog, dancing to music, bouncing on jump castles, having meltdowns, being impatient, walking a mile around the park to show support for a really great set of causes. There were so many kids just like them all over the park and some of them had Down Syndrome.
Fun fact: I had a bad sinus infection on our honeymoon and spent half the time of our cruise ugly sleeping in our cabin.
It was fun to see my little cousin as an adult and married and hear her and her husband talk plans for the future. It made me think of how different my life is now from those early married times. How I could not ever, in a million years, have anticipated any of what the ten years have brought. The biggest surprise: having a cat.
It was fun to see my little cousin as an adult and married and hear her and her husband talk plans for the future. It made me think of how different my life is now from those early married times. How I could not ever, in a million years, have anticipated any of what the ten years have brought. The biggest surprise: having a cat.
Yesterday we also took part in a Buddy walk benefiting the Down Syndrome Society and the Spread the Word to End the Word movement. It was a really fun morning with about 5,000 other people enjoying the gorgeous weather in the park with us.
It was challenging to try and explain to the Big boys about Down Syndrome. Matt wanted to classify the genetic disorder into strictly either a good or bad thing. Trying to get my super logical, scientific, one-track-minded child to think outside very linear boundaries is a challenge. But, lucky for us, he and Nic are very good at observation. And it was easier for them to SEE how Down Syndrome effects a person than have me explain it. And by see I don't mean just observe that people with Downs look different. I mean the boys saw that there were a bunch of kids running around, playing at the park, swinging, climbing, singing, hanging with friends, hanging with family, playing fetch with their dog, dancing to music, bouncing on jump castles, having meltdowns, being impatient, walking a mile around the park to show support for a really great set of causes. There were so many kids just like them all over the park and some of them had Down Syndrome.
Teaching the boys to find ways to empathize rather than sympathize, have a conversation rather than ask a million questions, see the person and not the disorder, and give friendship instead of pity is hard sometimes, most times. But I can remember growing up and just wanting people to stop staring, stop asking me questions, stop needing it explained, in detail, down to the chromosome with the busted gene, stop wanting to know WHY my brother was different and just play with us. And if they didn't want to play, fine. I just wanted them to be cool. I noticed and my brother did, too when people stared, laughed, or (worse, even) gave pitying glances and shook their heads. I want my kiddos to just be cool. To know they can come ask me about stuff later, but to be cool in the moment. I want it to be normal to be around all types of people. And to be courteous and friendly to all kids.
Hopefully we are doing ok with that so far.
Hopefully we are doing ok with that so far.
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