Lucas is still a bit young to fully understand Kayla's diagnosis and what that means for her and her future, but he is aware of the subtle differences and areas that are harder for her (coloring, speech). I hope that we are instilling in him the values of respect for all people regardless of their abilities. I hope that he won't think twice about having a classmate with special needs. I hope that he grows up with acceptance and realizing that people who have disabilities are a normal part of society and have as much value and worth as anyone else.
The article 9 Strategies for Nurturing Special Siblings offers some great tips and insight from parents who are raising children with and without special needs, and the relationship between the siblings.
Thanks, Julie Rosenberg, for including our family's perspective on this topic!
4 comments:
my friend who has a daughter with special needs has a son who is 7. she often talks about how he doesn't think kids with disabilities are different and that he stands up to those who are unkind to those with special needs. it makes me feel thankful that charlie will grow up with rachel and become a better person because of her. http://debbie61497.blogspot.com/
Thank you for sharing Michelle! I bookmarked the site. Colin is still a bit young too to understand about Ben but I want to make sure I'm able to support him as Ben's big brother as best I can!
Thanks for this article!! Our 9-yr-old daughter has DS and we are trying to teach our younger son and daughter (who are 6 and 3) that even though sometimes their big sis does some things differently or sometimes needs more help/practice learning new things, she is just like them. We've always been really open about talking about how Julia has Down Syndrome, and if you had a chat with her she'd probably tell you that DS is what makes her shorter than her little brother. And even though I know she sometimes gets frustrated when people think she's younger than she is (she's 9 years old and will point out to anyone who think she's just a kid that she's, in fact, almost a teenager - lol), if that's the only limitation she ever sees Down Syndrome having on her, I feel like I've done my job as a parent :)
My sister is 11 months younger than me, and I was aware from just a few years old that she was special. I had to sleep with her even though we had separate rooms because I thought that she would protect me because that God kept special people like her safe :) Now, as an adult, I can honestly say I try to find the good in everyone. No matter the situation I seem to always look for the strengths in people, and I can 100% say I am a better person because I have her in my life. Thanks for sharing!
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