Out of the Mouths of Babes

Kyle
So I’m scooting along on one of my neighborhood routes and pass the house with the two small children.  “Mom, look at that old lady!  She’s playing music--do you think she has any ice cream?”  Ah, children--they’ve taught me that they can handle most things if I’m direct and honest.  Children don’t worry about what’s polite to say.  If they want to know something, they ask. Unlike adults, who don’t want to embarrass me, children don’t pretend they understand or hear me (that telltale blank stare is a dead give away of a message not received).  They say so right away.  That’s much easier to deal with--no stress or second-guessing. 

Zoe
My grandchildren don't mind that I speak slowly, slur my words, need a rollator to walk, scoot from place to place, or take forever to move. I’ve been painted on, stickered on, treated like a big toy, a horse, an easily-bossed person and a game player that always dependably loses.  As a grandparent, I happily don’t have to discipline, say no, or think about more than one thing.  That’s what their parents are for (someone has to do it).  

As my grandchildren mature, they are my ever present helpers.  Six year old Kyle now places my rollator so I can reach it, rather than taking off and hiding it somewhere.  Seven year old Zoe offers me her hand when we encounter a step and I always take it, hold on to something stable, and pray that I won’t fall and crush her.  
Alexa
Four year old Lexi still lets me hold her on my lap on occasion, but gets up and down by herself, moves the stool over to the kitchen sink, and waits patiently for me to turn on the water.  They’re a ways from the eye-rolling years, but I know that’s coming. But more importantly, as a toddler, Lexi rode with me on a scooter at the zoo, where it all started.  “Hey,” I thought. “Here’s an idea that may work.”
The Zoo with Lexi

One of my nine year old granddaughter's friends, observing my ataxic gait, asked me if I was just old or had broken my leg. Determined to not be defensive, evasive, but rather honest and open, I started to explain. Sarah jumped in and said, "No, her brain just isn't talking to her feet." 

Sarah
“Okay, yeah,” I thought--that was one of the best explanations of Ataxia I had ever heard. The two children just moved on and never gave me a second thought.   I’ve got to remember that--brain, feet...

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We have contact

Image
Skeeter alerted me to an eyesight problem when I realized there were times when I had to navigate precisely while scooting.  I found myself dealing with my deliberate mono–vision by closing one eye in order to gauge available distance.  How much space was between Earl's car and my car, and between the telephone pole and the edge of the sidewalk?  How much asphalt before the road dropped off into dirt?  It was like my old "contact lens" days when one lens isn't in–blurry around the edge (not exactly double vision) .  Hmm, cataracts (at that time in life) , diminishing acuity (OK,  predictable... ) , Ataxia (a typical symptom for some people) ? Around 1993, I had radial keratotomy (RK) after years of wearing contact lenses or coke bottle glasses for being legally blind.  The surgeons gave me one eye for reading and one for distance (mono–vision) .  It was a good solution for someone in the 40s.  But, as I aged, the difference between the eyes was too significant.
Read more

Resume and Update

Image
It's been almost a year since I last blogged. I'd like to think that I was busy, but in fact, I was just too lazy and got overwhelmed at the thought of writing. The other issue is that not a whole lot new has happened and when friends would say, "You haven't blogged in a while," I just nodded my head and stared blankly. I thought maybe it was time to retire the blog and move on.  I mean-- geez! I started this in 2011. There are nearly 200 posts, two thirds of them after publishing my book.  How much blabbing can a person do?  However, the prospect of not being able to blab was just too much to deal with. So, I decided to dig in and update some old posts-- like, "Whatever happened to...?" or "w hatever happened after...?". Going through old posts was rewarding. I discovered that being honest has paid off in that most of my old observations were still valid.  I was relieved to know that there were few instances of "I wish I hadn't said t
Read more

East Coast Roadtrip

Image
East Coast Fall foliage It had been more than two years since we had ventured on our first roadtrip*.  It was time to move from using a walker to a wheelchair.  That was a particularly difficult humiliation bullet to bite.  I thought I had accepted the inevitability of progression, but I found myself whining, "No-o-o-o!"  Was this the end of the road before absolute immobility? Were my traveling days over?  More importantly, would I strain Earl's back and were my scooting days over? 😱 As with previous transitions, logic and practicality won out.  I was so freakin' slow with a walker. I didn't appreciate how frightening my precarious balance was to others.  Finally, I knew an injury was the bigger personal threat and was to be avoided at all costs.  Thelma and Louise ** became a permanent part of my next chapter.  Wheelchair use gave me greater mobility and freedom than I had expected.  It didn't impact my travel, scooting, and I didn't "
Read more