Grandma, why do you walk funny?


     
It's fascinating what children and their literature can teach a person with disabilities.  Caregiving is a family affair and I wanted to make sure that I was paying attention to the concerns of the grandchildren, as well as my own.  Although Sarah & Kyle, Zoe & Lexi aren't involved in actual care, they still have to make accommodations for my lack of mobility.  I wanted to know how having a relative with ataxia impacted children, so I asked.  My experience with children had been that they were so refreshingly honest.*  Having access to four children of different ages, personalities, and interests seemed like a golden opportunity to get some varying views.  I realized that probing into feelings can be confusing to children, so I was ready for whatever they came out with.

From Sarah, age 11: Well, I have a few more chores, but otherwise, it's OK. Seriously Grandma, it's OK.

From Kyle, age 8:  OK.  Can I go play Minecraft? 





From Zoe, age 9:  Well, I have to change the game rules when you play.  Like in Hide 'n' Seek, I have to do the hiding while you just sit.




 
From Lexi age 6:  I don't understand what you're saying.

  






 What I learned in Pooh's Little Instruction Book

 From Roo:  Drinking your milk and talking at the same time may result in your having to be patted on the back and dried for quite a long time afterwards.

From Pooh:  When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.
From Pooh:  When you fall on somebody, it's not enough to say you didn't mean to; after all, he probably didn't mean to be underneath you. 


From Eeyore:  We can't all, and some of us don't.  That's all there is to it.





I'm not by nature a jealous person.  But I do have to confess to a twinge of wistful envy when able-bodied grandparents go to games and places I avoid.   That's quickly replaced by my outlook on the 'village'**. The grandchildren's village is fortunately large (grandparents, great grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, friends) and they are happy to be in the center of it.

The lessons:  
Kids gravitate toward fun and away from aggravation.  
They make sense of whatever comes their way.  
Children of any age rarely give a lot of thought to a disability that isn't theirs.  
They don't often have an interest in adults' curiosity.
A person's a person, no matter how small. — Dr. Suess

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Road Trip: Part 1 of 5

Image
In Travels With Charlie , John Steinbeck said, "You don't take a trip, it takes you."  This became a recurring theme and our philosophy for the month. The route Earl and I hit the road on May 4 and came home May 29, driving nearly 6000 miles.  Rather than one trip, it was more like three.  We had a great time, and discovered that while three weeks is fine, four is a bit too long.  That said, we have no 'we shouldn't have gone theres'. Preferring daily showers and electricity, I'm just not a good camper.  Motels along the way became our temporary home on the road.  Moving motels every other day had its pluses and minuses.  Come to think of it– primarily minuses.  However, we did discover what we really need in an 'Accessible' room.  I'll trade a roll-in shower for some space to move, and always travel with nightlights.  I had forgotten how noisy motels can be and how thin the walls are.  Some travelers get up at the cra...
Read more

Life in the Time of COVID: Managing the Money Pit

Image
Who benefits when you're staying clo se to home–all the time?  Could be the home itself.  When you're out and about, it's easy to get distracted and ignore signs that the house needs some attention.  But when you spend the lion's share of your time at home, it becomes daunting. The most urgent task was determining the source of a significant water leak and then fixing it. Was it in the pool? The hot tub? The water feature?  Worst case (most expensive to repair) scenario, was it under the concrete?  Long story short, it took nearly 6 months to figure out that it wasn't the pool (yay) , it wasn't the water feature (yay) , and it wasn't something under the concrete (major yay, I hope) .  We still haven't found the source, but we're closing in with help of professional leak detectors  ( of course) .    Although the water feature wasn't the cause of the mystery leak, it did need to be revised before becoming a major problem.  The lining had t...
Read more

The Flower Quest

Image
Obtaining flowers isn't usually much of a problem here.  I see them when scooting on my garden route*.  Earl has developed a green thumb and is cultivating some on his own.  Friends and neighbors are a good supply.  I have developed a reputation in that I never met a flower I didn't like.  Bottom line:  Flowers make me happy and I always have places for arrangements**.  But, when Earl suggested that we go to the Dahlia Festival in nearby Canby, we had decisions to make.  Nothing is simple these days.  Did I really want to go?  1.  Was this event worth the effort?  Answer: Yes 2.  What's the best vehicle***?  Answer:  Skeeter would allow me more unassisted mobility. 3.  Would my bladder last 3 hours?  Answer:  Probably Portland and surrounds, like many cities, holds one celebration or another for its flowers. From June through August, there's the Rose Festival, the Tulip festival, the Iri...
Read more