slowly (mostly true), are so loving (very
true), are always friendly (usually true),
and never get upset (not true at all!).
When Benjamin joined our little family, we began to see a whole different side
of this syndrome. We saw the frequent
doctor appointments, because while he
was generally very healthy, his body did
not always fight things off as easily as
other children’s bodies might have done.
We began a journey that included physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech
therapy, and later, music therapy, as each
specialist helped us understand how to
help Benjamin reach his fullest potential. Many of the developmental milestones were passed very easily by Josiah
and Zechariah, but each little skill had
to be broken down into small pieces for
Benjamin and practiced, and practiced,
and, well, patience is a good thing! We
also experienced many doubts, as well
as comments from naysayers, about our
ability to teach Benjamin well in our
homeschool, but we were just stubborn
enough to try.
First and foremost, however, we saw
Benjamin as our beloved baby, a child who
wanted the same things every baby wants:
to be loved, cared for, fed (frequently!),
played with, etc. We don’t see Down syndrome when we look at Benjamin or our
other middle children; we see a beautiful
creation of God. Yes, it takes more patience and time and practice to help Benjamin and his siblings learn new things,
but learn they do, and usually with gusto!
When Benjamin was 3 years old, Gabriel joined our family. He added a new
Abby . . . . has taught
us about courage and
tenacity in the face of
challenges that most
people cannot even
imagine.
Additional
Resources
• National organizations that pro-
vide information and support for
individuals with Down syndrome
and their families
- National Down Syndrome
Congress
- National Association for Down
Syndrome
- downsyndrome.org
•;NATHHAN—Christian;organi-
zation that provides support for
families homeschooling a child
with special needs
•;Partners;in;Policymaking—Free
program that trains individuals
with developmental disabilities
and parents how to better ad-
vocate for themselves and their
loved ones; each state has a PIP
program, which normally runs
one weekend a month for eight
months, although online courses
are also available.
•;Inspiring;video;about;Down
syndrome
