Hey everyone, Kara is doing great! She is supported walking with her shopping cart and holding our hands. Her knees are turned in when she walks. The opposite of bow legged but not so bad that it is knee knocking. Her therapist thinks and hopes she will outgrow it as she gets stronger and more confident. For now we are just going to keep doing walking exercises.
Kara is getting glasses. Her right eye is very near sighted and she has normal vision in her left. This once again makes me shake my head and wonder how her first eye doctor can get it so wrong. He said she was farsighted and gave her glasses for that. He didn't dilate her eyes to give us that diagnosis. This doctor not only dilated them but she also spent a great amount of time looking in them. All the while keeping Kara happy and interested. She also let me look in her eyes and explained what I was seeing.
I wanted to tell a little story about a situation that came up while at the park today. I think it holds a lesson for non special need parents and special need parents as well. Kara was crawling around on the playground equipment and just playing and having fun. Another parent walked by and said to Kara "You are an awful big baby."
I was a little confused by why in the world she would say that and said "she isn't a baby she is two."
She said "I know it is just that she is crawling around."
I told her "She can't walk." Which led her to get all flustered and say something else about other kids crawling around not just your daughter, if she is your daughter..... and on and on it went.
So for the non special needs mom the lesson is simple. Don't say something about another child is doing if you don't know that child or their parent because there may be something you don't know. Then for those who aren't adoptive parents; always assume that if someone is with a child it is their child. If you are wrong no big deal. Families come in all shapes and sizes and it is less embarrassing for you and the adoptive parent if you just assume the child is theirs.
Now for special needs parents. When I first became a special needs parent, I was easily offended and overly sensitive and fiercely protective of my daughter. I have now had a little experience with rude people. ignorant people, and even some really nice people who mean no harm and accidentally say something insensitive and I have learned to let it roll off my back. A lot of people mean no harm and I know I can sometimes be insensitive without meaning too. As a special needs parent you are going to hear it all and the best you can do is move on. If you dwell on it and stew over it or blow up and get upset that will continue on to your precious child and make them feel as if something is wrong with them. Instead lets teach them that they are special and make them secure in your love. Dwell on the amazing things they can do and not the things they can't do.
Just some thoughts I had from the day. As always we are incredibly thankful for our daughter and all the joy and happiness she has brought to our lives.