What to Do When A Friend Is Drowning ...
Jan 19 '01
The Bottom Line Be a good and consistent example of tolerance, love & respect & you will be setting the foundation of a lifetime for your children.
A very good friend of mine recently informed me that her son is deaf. Profoundly deaf. Her son is 10 months old.
Take a step back in time. My friend's son was born with no apparent problems. He was a happy & relatively healthy baby. In late October, he developed meningitis. He was very ill. Despite most doctor's thoughts to the contrary, he survived. However, he was left profoundly deaf.
My friend feels a lot of emotion. She feels relief, but guilt. Guilt that her son will probably never hear the sound of birds singing, or more importantly, the sound of her voice telling him she loves him. The guilt of thinking "I should have known sooner ... I should have known he was ill ..". The guilt of relief that her son is alive, but grief that he is deaf. The guilt of wondering what this will do to her family, to her husband and her older son, and to herself.
Morals. This category is about morals. Well, it's about values too. This is what I told my friend, and I hope that some of it holds true for you.
My dear friend, your son may never hear your voice, but he will feel your touch. He will feel your cheek against his, your lips on his face, the warmth of your embrace, your heart beating against his chest as you hold him close.
You will show him the world. You will take him to the park, teach him to ride a bike, climb trees & chase butterflies.
You will take him to the zoo, and sign the names of the animals to him.
You will hold his hands to a stereo speaker, and move your arms to the music, teaching him to dance.
You will teach your older son to treat his little brother as an equal, thus teaching them both that deafness is not unusual or bad.
You will teach your son to read, to learn, and to love learning, opening an entire universe to him.
You will teach him tolerance, love, and respect for others.
You will show him that the world is full of joy.
You will model for him the value of family.
This child is supremely blessed. He is deaf, but he is blessed because he is surrounded by love.
Morals. This is about morals. You will teach your child morals by your example.
The example of a bright, beautiful, strong woman. A woman I am proud to call my dear friend.
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lorimartinez
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Member: Lori M
Location: Warrenville, IL
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Working mom - love to write, read, watch tv, cook & eat.
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