So apparently what I tried to say with Tuesday’s post is not what people read. I thought I was talking about feeling uncomfortable because attention was drawn to us when a woman with a sister who has Down syndrome approached us at Target, but several commenters thought I was uncomfortable with (or didn’t like) that I was approached by her at all. I’ve written many times here about how much I enjoy these interactions (here, here, and here for starters), so I thought I’d been pretty clear in the past about my embrace of the larger Down syndrome community. But apparently I made people sad because they saw the opposite.
So…let me be clear. I never, under any circumstances, have ever wished that a single individual with Down syndrome and/or his or her family members or friends had not approached me. Never. Not once. What I DO dislike is the very fact that we, the loved ones of individuals with Down syndrome, are set apart from the rest of society. I have a generally positive outlook on life, and I try to reflect that here on the blog, but…that does not mean that I relish every single moment of my life as the mom of two children with special needs. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
Being the mom of two children with special needs IS a burden. Notice that I didn’t say my children are a burden, because they are not. Also notice that I didn’t say it wasn’t worth it, because it is. But being their mother is burdensome. My children aren’t the only ones who are viewed as “different” – I am, too, as their parent. And sometimes I just want to be ordinary. Is that so terrible to admit?
Have you seen the MassMutual commercial “Mother” yet? It’s about a mother of a young boy with special needs and it’s spot on in every way. Click the video to watch.
Did you read the post about our family by Kim at Tri and True yesterday? Kim and her husband are running acquaintances of mine through Running of the Ears and mutual friends of my friend, Katie. It was interesting to me to read about us from an outsider’s perspective, and I have to say that although I’m not sure if she meant it to be, I took it as the ultimate compliment. Her husband, who doesn’t want kids, said that if he ever had a kid he’d want him to be just like Nathan. Amazing. That part made me cry.
But I also laughed, as well, at her description of Mr. Andi. Life with him is normal for me, so sometimes I forget what a unique treasure he is. 🙂 Refer to Snippet #4 and #5 for further explanation.
If you did read the post, you may now be curious about the infamous “Bullfrog in a Boot” video that she referenced. So because I’m a giver, I’ll share.
Background: the individual in the video is a co-worker of Mr. Andi’s (remember that these are big, strapping, manly lineman men). This particular individual, however, tends to be a bit jumpy, which is a rough combo when you spent 40 hours a week with a bunch of practical jokesters, led by the king of practical jokesters himself. Click to watch.
And yes, that was Mr. Andi who moved into the chair behind him, snickering. Not surprisingly, he isn’t great at poker.
Are you watching Duck Dynasty yet? One of this week’s episodes explored Jase’s history of chastisements by the neighborhood HOA. One of the incidents involved him skinning a deer in the yard. Remember how I said that the Robertson clan is like Mr. Andi’s family? Well, not only has Mr. Andi skinned a deer in our driveway before, but you can also add raccoon, multiple snakes, and countless doves to the list.
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. And sometimes those words reveal that the rest of the photo is gigantic lie. I shot several images of Sarah Kate and Mr. Andi on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad while we were at Walt Disney World for the wedding. In the first few, they are in various stages of roller coaster excitement at different points along the track. Then there’s this one.
Have you ever seen more relaxed and bored-looking roller coaster riders in your life? Obviously, my two were mugging for the camera.
And just in case you haven’t yet laughed or been horrified enough by this week’s Snippets, I have one more video for you.
Nathan + Safety Dance = Hilarity. Be sure to turn the volume way up.
Have a great weekend!
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This post was inspired by and is linked to Conversion Diary‘s 7 Quick Takes.
For real with the Safety Dance cuteness???? He reminds me of this video I have of J dancing to “Sexyback” by Justin Timberlake (I know, I know). Seriously. I love it.
I have to say I didn’t get that vibe from your comments about the interaction in the store at all. Sometimes you just don’t want to be the poster child (or parent) for your particular minority. But maybe I get it in a way other people don’t.
Oh…my…gosh! Nathan is too, too cute. Not only did I nearly bust a gut laughing because his safety dance is soooooooooooo adorable, but I have to listen to that song now too! 🙂
Oh – I saw the Mass Mutual the other day and pretty much thought the same thing – and of course it reminded me that I need to look into financial planning for my son!