As we watched the space shuttle Endeavor's launch, Meredith looked at me and said "mommy I wanna fly to space." I told her she could do anything she wanted & mommy would help her. Then of course she got up & told me she wanted to be a princess. But I sat there & watched with awe in my eyes as the space shuttle made it's way to space.
Then I sat there & thought about what Meredith had said. She wanted to fly to space. And suddenly I felt like someone had hit my right in the head. My kids CAN do anything they want to do. It's not like I didn't know that before that very moment, but for some reason the idea really struck me right then.
We had the misfortune of meeting with a developmental pediatrician last week. We went in with the expectation that she would help to guide us in the various ways we could help Sean with motor skill development, as well as give us some insight into his cognitive development. In a nutshell she told us that Sean would be a perpetual 8 year old and suggested that because Sean has down syndrome, we must have major marital problems. Now that is not to say that it isn't a possibility that Sean could potentially be a perpetual 8 year old or 5 year old. And if that's his destiny then so be it, but I didn't care for the limitation she was setting for my son & every other kid with down syndrome. Listening to her reminded me of a professor reciting from a textbook written in 1960. Upon the completion of our visit, Rob & I left feeling more frustrated than when we went in. We had gotten nothing out of our visit & paid a buttload of money out of pocket to be angry.
So I guess sitting with my kids watching them discover their world & realizing for myself that the world is wide open for them, but only if they're taught that it's open. Only if my kids are shown that the only thing that limits them are themselves. The world is a wide open for them as long as they always remain curious & ask why? I hope that I'm able to teach them that. I hope I'm able to give them the confidence to always be curious.
Thank goodness you are their mother and it still bothers me about that visit you had! Horrible!
ReplyDeleteThis post was exactly what I needed to read as I am dealing with a severe speech delay and possibly autism with my son. So far, the speech therapist and the counselor have been less than encouraging and it angers me that they are already setting limits for him when instead he could very well end up accomplishing a ton more than they think. It is so sad that at the young age of two and a half he already has a label on his forehead and that some people think so little of him. Your children are so lucky to have you as their mom! You are doing a fantastic job!!! (I've been following your blog for a while, found you through the nest, but I think it is my first time leaving a comment :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is just awful. It does sound like outdated info. I don't see a developmental pediatrician and I skip the assessment tests they offer just for this reason. I push the bear cub, but don't worry about where she is or what others think she should be doing.
ReplyDeleteMamma knows best is what I truly believe, It was family in the first place who noticed their children's potential when Dr.'s were recommending institutions. Parents forged the way and now they want to tell us our child's potential and what they can and cannot do. Naughty naughty shame on them.
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