When our grandson, Theo was smaller we'd quickly suck in our breath when he walked along a wall and we anticipated he'd surely fall, or we were sure he'd lose his balance on steps, or the curb, or climbing on the furniture. But, Theo seldom fell, and we were amazed! We finally relaxed and trusted his inner balance. Theo is very good at building humungus towers with jenga blocks -- this one is as tall as he is! I see a parallel with a 17 year-old boy who lives with Down syndrome whose grandmother has been terrified of letting him go into any program where someone could possibly mistreat him. She'd rather do everything for him. In fact, he has become angrier and angrier at not being allowed to do things by himself, and his mother is afraid he might turn on the grandmother in a rage. This month he got a new job sponsored by the Lions Club in his area, and he is absolutely delighted! There's a strong dignity of risk, and I pray that the grandmother will be at peace with this new situation.
No comments:
Post a Comment