October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. In fact, it’s October all year round for us. Working for your child to be understood and accepted as a person has no working hours and is an ongoing cause.
An incident in the park soon led me to some thoughts and confirmed a feeling of mine.
Vyara was playing in the park and a child approached her. The father called the child and said something quietly to him. The child came to us again, and when a third child approached, the girl pulled him aside and said: “She is sick.”
I heard it and it burned me.
And other parents have explained this to their children what Down syndrome is. And how wonderful it would be if they took a moment and told them:
“She was born this way. Like some kids have blonde hair or blue eyes. And that’s for life. But she is healthy. It’s just that he looks different, his eyes are more curved and his speech is more peculiar, so he goes to a speech therapist to learn to speak well. Play with her. She is a child like you!’
One minute that can change an entire society of adolescent children. One small step for any parent, but one giant leap for humanity.
