Seriously, I get the camera out because I have not taken a single picture of her this week, and both of them pose and look at each other, I’m not sure if they are thinking oh, lets’ pose, or thinking not again with the camera mom! I’m leaning more toward the second one. Notice Quinn’s shirt is riding up! I just went out and got her a couple of shirts that are a 7/8! Wow, that is just crazy! She needs them a little big because of all her wiggling and long torso, but wow, a 7/8!
We have had a busy week. I feel like I have not really had that much time with Quinn. Busy with laundry, cleaning, working… then a nap yesterday and today, due to the fact that I was awake until 4 in the morning reading a book. Here I am getting after my students for acting like its summer and forgetting how to act in school, when I am doing the same thing at home, I guess I better be careful to follow my own advice.
Our big outing for the weekend was going to Southeast High School to help with the Easter Seals weekend. Once a month during the school year a group of folks working with Easter Seals watch kids with special issues and play and play and play with them. I got involved thanks to Chrissy and Annette. It gives their parents a break, and the kids get to have a weekend away. Win, Win for everyone! Well, I learned a lot. First, as to be expected, kids with special needs are just like any other kids. They are on all different levels of functionality, and at the same time, they all have totally different personalities. I did not have time to interact with a few kids while a few of them really touched my heart. I talked to a high school student for a while who I asked, “If Annette was a good teacher?” He replied, “No, she is an awesome teacher.” We also talked about his love for the Dungeon and Dragons games, but he was quick to add in, not the naughty kind, but the Star Wars kind. I really have no idea how the games work, but I knew enough to really get him talking, and that was nice. The experience that made my heart ache was when I was attempting to walk one of the girls to the bathroom, (Southeast is a maze to me, and most of their bathrooms were locked, but that is another story) she saw a bunch of boys standing around that triggered her to tell me a story. Her speech and actions are a bit choppy and I really had to listen to understand what she was saying, but through her actions and words, I easily understood that a group of boys called her a faggot and she knew that was not a good thing. Oh, my heart hurt for her. I wanted to talk to her and help her understand how some people make bad choice and how we have to be stronger then that, but I did not know her well enough to have her be comfortable with me to really try to talk it out. I hope I helped her a little by talking, but I’m really not sure. The most positive thing about the weekend was seeing all the volunteers and leaders working with these kids. They were all young adults, a good mix of men and women in their 20’s and to see them interacting with these kids was amazing. They treated them like kids, no special issues, just kids, and it was wonderful to see. I can learn from them, sometimes I catch myself acting a bit overprotective and cautious around some of my special kids at school, and that is not what they need, they are kids, and all kids have different ways to learn and be successful, but kids are kids, and they are all so precious. So my point is that these young adults are amazing! (I guess I felt like the mother of all of them, when I’m not all that much older then any of them, but I felt very motherly, maybe because they were all right in there with the kids playing and interacting. Yeah!) A group of them took Quinn under wing and I came out to find her flying a kite with a bit of help and blowing bubbles, what a great group! They taught me so much and inspired me to want to get out and volunteer more and give back, because I know how fortunate we are and I always get so much out of every experience.
Oh, talking about being fortunate, we are hoping to go to Winter Park Colorado for a Dreams Unlimited annual river rafting trip with the National Sports Center for the Disabled. We got a personal invitation to go, and they even help cover some of the costs to participate. I am excited to learn a lot through this experience as well. So we will see. Our summer is filling up fast, with me trying to take a class, Quinn’s therapies, volunteering with the Special Olympics, hey if you can volunteer for it, you will get a lot out of it! It takes some time to get registered, so try to get signed up soon!
http://www.2010specialolympics.org/
Oh, Virginia had her first heart ache with Quinn. They went to the Children’s Museum on Friday and a woman who I’m guessing has not been around many kids with special needs came over to her to ask if Quinn was all right. Virginia is amazing and loves Quinn so much and I appreciate her so much for that. I think the two of them taught that woman a lot that day. So thanks Virginia for being willing to take Quinn out and get her out of her chair to play with trains and water and get her involved in the fun, instead of just watching. Again, we know how lucky we are. Quinn is a great teacher with a bit of help! Sometimes I want to hold up at home and not face ignorant people who don’t know any better and call names or act inappropriately. More often then not, we have positive experiences, and almost every time we go out, I get compliments on how beautiful Quinn is. I see that sometimes the person saying that wants to say so much more but doesn’t. So we do have so many positive experiences. Positive and negative experiences both help the teacher side of me come out, and I want to help educate for all of our sake, and help everyone learn and accept each other for all our abilities and disabilities, because we all have a good mix of both of them in many different ways.
Blessings!
Susan
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