Letters From Listeners

Sometimes I forget that our son has Down Syndrome. It's easy to be distracted by his 2-year-old tantrums, his mischievous smile and go-getter attitude. Gabe is kindhearted but stubborn. He immediately runs to check on his sister when she's having a dramatic, I'm-4-and-the-world-is-over meltdown. He will climb onto your lap randomly and stretch his little fingers up to stroke your cheek, just to say, "I love you." 

He also destroys things. Opens drawers, pulls things out, throws them on floor. When you confront him, he ducks his head and looks up from under his eyebrows with a sort of sorry smirk. He helps pick up, sometimes, or wanders off to destroy something else. He loves music; he'll start to dance the second he hears it. He absolutely cannot resist participating in a round of "Itsy Bitsy" or "Twinkle Twinkle," no matter how upset he may have been seconds before. Gabe can make music from anything, even the fireworks during the Fourth of July celebration. 

Sometimes I forget, because Gabe is just that - Gabe. When I look at him I don't see Down syndrome, I see my son, Abi's brother - a sweet, willful, determined little boy. 

Sometimes I forget, and that makes it even harder when someone reminds me in a not so kind way. 

Read the entire blog: When a Cashier Reminded Me My Son Has Down Syndrome