Best Intentions

Some time ago, I was approached by a well-meaning person regarding a ”cure” for Down syndrome. This person gave me a pamphlet that described a specific nutritional program, which had a ‘before’ and ‘after’ picture of a girl with Down syndrome.

After the pictured girl with Ds had completed the program, many of her physical features looked more typical. As the ‘after’ picture is meant to reveal the desired effect, how could I take this any other way than this person who gave me the pamphlet thought my son Wil was less than perfect?

Yes, my son has an extra chromosome, and that makes him different in some ways, but why does he need to be corrected? This nutritional program is based in religion, and I always thought all children were considered perfect in God’s eyes. Did this mean Wil is any less God’s child than his typically-developing sisters?

Now, the person who gave me this information did it with the best intentions, but her ignorance in regards to the perfection of my son, just as he is, made me realize how much more education is needed.

It’s so frustrating that those who are considered outside of the norm need to be ‘corrected.’ Each one of us is born with many different gifts to offer to the world. We should celebrate those differences, rather than trying to find ways to conform them.

My message to my son is, and always will be, that he is perfect exactly as he is. He will always be doing the right thing if he continues to do his personal best, and to always rock that extra chromosome!

Moms – if this happened to you with a well-meaning friend or family member, how would you feel? Smile and take the brochure in the spirit in which it was offered, or another response entirely?

Christie is a forty-something mom with twin daughters, and a son who happens to have Down syndrome. To read more by Christie, please visit her blog, Autobiographical Reflections.