It is fun to watch children as they grow up because everyday they evolve into the adults that they will someday be. Whenever I would get frustrated, my mom would tell me that everyone has a talent and I needed to be patient. Patience is not something that I have an abundance of, so this usually just added to my frustration, but I'm happy to say that over the years a couple of talents have finally emerged.
Suzanne has a talent already, and she is using it as much as she possibly can. Suzanne's talent is being Kirk's sidekick. She is Robin to his Batman, Tonto to his Lone Ranger, Jerry to his Tom. Suzanne is ready and willing to do whatever Kirk wants and to put her own particular spin on things.
We had a baseball game on Tuesday and Suzanne is a regular on the bench. The boys don't pay any particular attention to her most of the time, but Tuesday was different because Kirk decided to have her sing for them. If you live in Oregon or Washington, you have probably heard the ads for Sleep Country U.S.A.
"Sleep Country USAAAAAA. Why buy a mattress anywhere ELSE! Ding!"
Suzanne actually only sings the Ding part, but it really cracks up a crowd. Kirk's friend Noah has seen this little performance before, so he helped Kirk with the singing and then Suzanne chimes in with Ding! I hate to say it, but the boys on the bench were not paying attention to the game because they were busy watching Suzanne sing her part of the song. Even after Kirk went up to bat and got on base, they kept singing in order to get Suzanne to say "Ding!"
This isn't all Sidekick Suzanne can do. She's a really good fetcher as well. Kirk doesn't have to fetch the balls that he doesn't catch because Suzanne is usually hovering around ready to do the job. She also helps him clean up his room, although he never helps clean up her room. She even cleans his toothbrush! Of course she does this by swishing it in the toilet--we've been going through a lot of toothbrushes lately.
As Greg likes to say, behind every good man is a woman kicking him in the, uh, derriere. Well, behind Kirk is a sister intent on side-kicking him to the top. I just hope that is where he wants to go...
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
"Special Needs"
Blech! Yet another word or phrase that makes me retch. "Special Needs" ranks right up there with "politically correct," "we pimpin'," "bling" and "awesome." These words and phrases simply grate on my nerves whenever I hear them, partly because they are overused, but also because they are meaningless. Take bling for example. Why say bling when, in most instances, it is more accurate to say hideous, gaudy jewelry worn in poor taste? Why say "we pimpin'" when it would be more accurate to say "I've painted and accessorized my truck to the point of technicolor tackiness."
Let us examine "special needs" as it relates to Suzanne. Her needs are not really so special. She only needs what every other kid needs. She needs love, nurturing, protection, friendship, patience, kindness, purpose, health, family, security, play, laughter, a brother to hold her hand, cinnamon toast, bandaids and a dry fanny. This is a pretty ordinary list when you really look at it. There is nothing too special about it, except for Grandma Della's special cinnamon toast spread, which has certain restorative powers when used during a crying jag.
The really special thing that Suzanne needs, which may not come to her automatically, is inclusion. She needs to be a part of the group, she needs to be where the action is, she needs to be accepted like every other kid on the block. The more that Suzanne is viewed by everyone as just another kid, the better she will do in life and the more she will be able to achieve. Inclusion is a vital key in helping kids with developmental delays to succeed.
It is interesting to note that in classrooms where there is a child with Down Syndrome, the test scores are higher than in other classes. Hmmmm...wonder why that is??
Anyway, don't look at people with delays as "special." Just remember, that they need exactly the same things that you do and the rest of it is just details.
Let us examine "special needs" as it relates to Suzanne. Her needs are not really so special. She only needs what every other kid needs. She needs love, nurturing, protection, friendship, patience, kindness, purpose, health, family, security, play, laughter, a brother to hold her hand, cinnamon toast, bandaids and a dry fanny. This is a pretty ordinary list when you really look at it. There is nothing too special about it, except for Grandma Della's special cinnamon toast spread, which has certain restorative powers when used during a crying jag.
The really special thing that Suzanne needs, which may not come to her automatically, is inclusion. She needs to be a part of the group, she needs to be where the action is, she needs to be accepted like every other kid on the block. The more that Suzanne is viewed by everyone as just another kid, the better she will do in life and the more she will be able to achieve. Inclusion is a vital key in helping kids with developmental delays to succeed.
It is interesting to note that in classrooms where there is a child with Down Syndrome, the test scores are higher than in other classes. Hmmmm...wonder why that is??
Anyway, don't look at people with delays as "special." Just remember, that they need exactly the same things that you do and the rest of it is just details.
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