Thursday, September 08, 2005

Just An Idea

You know what I find so fascinating about Little Peanut, she is so darn flexible. I realize that it’s because of the low tone, but still very cool. I wish that I could be that flexible. We were over our friend’s house for a Labor Day BBQ and I was playing with Peanut and I was rubbing her feet on her head, yes it’s a strange thing to do, but she likes it and I’m a guy, we do strange things. Anyway, our friends thought it was the coolest thing, so I agreed and said “Yes, my daughter is cool” and offered to show them another trick lol. I didn’t, just kidding there. But it did get me thinking. We as parents of kids with DS get the usual stares from people when we are out and about. One time, I think Peanut was 2-3 months old and we were at Hershey Park, I told a lady to take a picture because it lasts longer. I think I embarrassed the living daylights out of her because she couldn’t get away from us fast enough. Anyway, I’m passed all that stuff and could care less about what other people think. Yes, I do have the occasional relapse. I thought the next time I’m in one of my moods and I have Peanut with me and catch someone staring at my daughter, I’ll turn around and clap her feet behind her head and then announce “Thank you all for coming, and now for her next trick”, by that time I’m sure that the person will be anywhere but near us.

11 comments:

Kim Ayres said...

Sitting at the table the other day, Meg (who's 7) decided to show us that she could pull her feet up and put them flat against her ears.
It may be to do with low tone, and it may have been inappropriate for the dinner table, but I was kind of impressed all the same!

BStrong said...

You and I are having some similar experiences. The hair thing with our sons, my drive in the park, and now the leg thing. It's a little strange.

Don't YOU try the leg thing. You'd be laid up in bed for a month.

Kim Ayres said...

too late...I'm typing this from my hospital bed...

Kim Ayres said...

Seriously though...

It is a bit uncanny some of the similarities, although as married 30-something fathers of children with special needs we're bound to have a few things in common.

If you ever fancy blethering a little less publically, then you can get my e-mail address from my profile.

Unknown said...

Don't you dare,,,,I love reading what you 30 something Dads have to say! lol!!

My sweet-pea too is very limber.....truly amazing and she loves to do tricks!

As for staring.....I truly think that we as a society 'stare'.....we study pictures, we study TV,,,,we observe, and do it so much that we don't realize we are studing something.

I always look at it as a way to help dispell myths and stereotypes, that the stares might have held regarding people with T21. Up until my 30s, I very, rarely saw a person with T21 out and about......I was lucky to have the Wonder years on TV to really get an understanding of that T21 was [I could stare at Chris Burke on the TV without getting caught]....and now I get to stare, take pictures so I can continue to marval at the amazing beauty that T21 brings to a persons life.

So guys,,,don't take the fun off line, I'd get board!

Kim Ayres said...

Now that goes to show my blogging naivety - while bstrong and I are happily posting comments on each other's sites, it never occured to me that anyone would be following them.

Yes, it's all very obvious now that you've said it Tara Marie...

Maybe we'd better start talking about football and monster trucks and everyone will soon lose interest!

BStrong said...

LOL.
Kim,
Let's not tell Tara Marie about what I suggested in that email I sent to you..................

Just kidding Tara, no off board discussions were made.

Kim,
Regarding football, are you talking about what we in the states call soccer? I always get confused about that one.

Lori said...

Oh, just wait until they get to high school! Evan's friends are always having competitions to see if they can be as flexable as he is!
About the staring thing, I am now at the point if someone stares especially long I put on my sunniest smile and say "Hi! Do we know each other?" (I am so onery!!)

Kim Ayres said...

Yup, football in the UK is what you call soccer. As it happens, I can't stand the game. I don't know what it's like in the US, but as a kid your status in the playground is often determined by how well you can kick/throw/catch a ball.

Unfortunately I was not the most agile of children and so grew up with a hatred, bordering on the pathological, for sports we had to play at school - namely soccer, rugby and cricket.

Take soccer, for example, the 2 captains would be out the front and would take it in turns to pick their team from the rest of us lining up against the wall. I was, without fail, the last kid to get picked (after the one with the leg-brace) and whoever got me would roll their eyes and put me in goal.

Because of the aforementioned lack of coordination, I was not very good at stopping the ball from going into the net behind me, so after a game would be thumped on the arm by any or all of my team when the teacher wasn't looking. To this day it's difficult to see soccer being played without feeling a slight twinge in my upper arm.

Anyway, this kind of childhood experience can really put you off a game.

Just don't get me started about cricket...

BStrong said...

Kim,
Same in the states. Kids can be very cruel. Sorry about getting picked after the kid with the leg brace. I really don’t watch soccer because I like to watch sports that are high scoring and action packed. Soccer is usually 1-0 or 2-1, drives me nuts. The way the American media portrays Soccer (football), one would think that being a spectator at a game is more dangerous then actually playing the sport.

Lori,
I can't wait for those days. Na na na na na, see what one more chromosome can do.

Thanks for the comment.
B

Anonymous said...

I have a little 'twister' too. My son is 7 and is still limber...more than my younger daughter who is 6.

When he was about 2 or 2 1/2 he was sitting up on the floor with his feet straight out in front of him. He wanted to lie down so he spread his legs out and around him, swinging them to the sides until they were behind him and then went down on his stomach. My husband was watching and went bug-eyed and said 'owwwwwwww'. My son proceeded to reverse it, swinging his legs in an arc to the sides and sitting up again. Hmmmmmm. We were in awe of his amazing abilities. Our awe was somewhat dimmed when we were telling the physical therapist about it and she gasped 'don't you ever let him do that again!! It's terrible for his hips!!'. Sigh....oh well, we thought it was cool. ; )

And I love reading your comments guys, don't go incognito!