
Opinion, Parenting
My Daughter In her preschool years[/caption]
I guess to share this concern with other parents because I'm sure my daughter is not the only one who feels this way. I also wanted to prepare younger parents for what the future may hold for their child and that they need to be aware. Our daughter's best friend with Downs feels the same way as our daughter so I figure it must be somewhat common.
School is tough for kids no matter what but I think it is even more difficult for our teenagers with special needs because they are old enough and smart enough to figure it out. The separation of abilities and communication skills has begun to really take hold during this time period too and it becomes very apparent that our teens struggle to keep up with the rest of the kids.
Mom, I Hate Having Down syndrome
"Mom, I hate having Down Syndrome." My 14-year old daughter told me this the other day. Honestly, I sat there for a minute because I didn't know what to say. It wasn't a big surprise to me because she had implied in the past that she wanted nothing to do with Down Syndrome. Our family does not attend Down syndrome community gatherings and she does not participate in the special education program at her school because I finally gave up when she would no longer engage with the class or teachers. But now, these feelings seem to have spread over into other areas of her life. I'm afraid she feels like an outsider in both worlds... the disability world and the typical world.Watching Something That Will Never Go Away
First, let me tell you that I am not a psychologist or licensed medical practitioner of any kind. Just a mom....watching her child struggle to figure out where she fits in and wishing more than ever that I understood how to approach this issue. Unlike her two older sisters, I can't tell her it is something she can change in herself or grow out of in the future. The 47 chromosome thing is permanent and some how, some way, she will have to learn how to fit that extra chromosomal design into a world that is built for 46.So why a blog post on this issue?
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