There’s a widespread belief that people with special needs are “different” from the rest of us typical people. That belief leads people to stare, ridicule, discriminate, or worse, against the differently-abled.
I know, and freely broadcast to the world, that Sarah Kate is more like her peers than she is different. She is more like ME than I care to think about, in fact – some of the very traits that drive me most batty are the ones that I know are Just. Like. Me.
Nathan, on the other hand, is different. As much as I love him, I don’t understand him. He is foreign and unfamiliar to me. Sometimes I look at him and think to myself, “I don’t think I can handle this. What is life going to be like when he is older?”
Nathan isn’t like me.
Nathan isn’t like his sister, either.
Nathan is…a BOY.
I should have known he was different before he was born. He kicked and squirmed like nobody’s business while in the womb, and never let up once he was out. He’s into everything these days – the dog food, all manner of things in Sarah Kate’s bedroom, DVD cases, and (as of yesterday) the bathroom trash can and the water in the toilet.
It isn’t Nathan’s diagnosis of Down syndrome that scares me. It’s his raw, unbridled, rough-and-tumble maleness.
And so the adventure begins…
LOL! Love the pic with the dog watching on as if to be encouraging him!
And I don't necessarily think it is a boy thing. My 2nd daughter is way way different from my first and from me. She's adventurous, curious, mischievous, and has no fear. She's giving me a run for my money!
oh man!! I have one like that at my house but it's my daughter.. mark my words lock down your computer.
Omg! Lol! Ah the adventures of a boy! The fun is just beginning! Lol
Welcome.To.My.Life.
I grew up with one sister. And two female cousins to whom we were close. I didn't have boys in my life. Now I have three of them. (Well, ok, technically, I have FOUR of them.) I regularly call my mother to tell her what her grandsons are up to NOW and she says "I just don't know what to say. You and your sisters NEVER did that." Then I roll my eyes. Hard.
I also regularly look at my husband and say "I don't get it. My sister and I were NEVER like this…"
It's totally a boy thing…they are aliens from a different planet! Although, I think I understand my husband better now….he's just a bigger version of Owen.