Mindy Wilkes Designs

Three of Twenty-One

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Today is World Down Syndrome Day.  I had a whole post planned in my head about this day.  About what it’s like to have a child with Down syndrome.  About what I want you to know about what it’s like.  I was going to talk about my dreams for Liam and what I want for his life.  But, honestly, it’s like this.  My hopes and dreams for him are no different than the hopes and dreams you have for your child(ren).  I want him to go to Reds games with Daddy carrying his glove in hopes of catching a foul ball.  I want him to build sandcastles on the beach.  I want him to have girlfriends, to know what love is.  I want him to take pride in what he does with his life.  And, I want him to not have to deal with the pain of being different, of being called names by those who are so much more ignorant than the names that they’ll call him.  Maybe that’s what I want you to take away from World Down Syndrome Day–the awareness that my life and my child are no different than yours and for you to teach your child that my son will be a great friend to yours, despite their differences. 

For more on Down syndrome, go here or here.

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  1. I hope that I can instill that in James. I had a def friend when I was younger. Everyone was afraid of him and made fun of him. He was a sweet boy. I often wonder what ever happened to him.

    Love the fat baby feet. =)

  2. Someday we need to have a Cinci-knit party, and the kids can play together. 🙂 Maybe once Liam is sitting up–he and Sam aren’t too far apart in age.

  3. I want to eat those baby toes. 😉
    And I want for Liam–and my kid–and all other kids– to have lives where they are not always compared to “normal”, but where they can be who they are, with their own strengths, challenges, and dreams.

  4. I so hope that you get everything you wish for your boy – he’s starting off well though – with tremendous love and respect from you!

    Thanks for the chicken soup offer. I’m quite the carnivore! 😉

  6. I completely agree with your post about wanting to raise Liam as you would any other child. I had spinal meningitis when I was 15 months old and suffered a hearing loss. My parents raised me just as they did my sister and I have led a wonderful life thus far!

  7. I like reading your posts about Liam. My aunt has Down Syndrome, and I grew up loving Bettianne, who would tell anyone who would listen “She’s my niece” with a proud smile. And her room was the place to be when I visited my grandmother, because she always had Barbie coloring books.

    Anyway, my point, was that I hope someone views Liam exactly as how I viewed my aunt- as the most awesome person in the world.

  8. Found you via comment you left at Cara’s – your son is just 3 days older than my daughter. Great post today, Liam is just adorable.