Enlightenment

You know, some people just don't think before they speak. I have been guilty of doing this myself on occassion. But when people don't think before they TYPE? Oh come on! That's why you can save all kinds of things as "drafts" before hitting the "publish" button.

Another blogger recently wrote about "Bumper Sticker Thinking", and happened to make a really dumb comment. He saw a "My kid has Down Sydndrome" bumper sticker and thought that parent must surely hate the "My kid is an Honor Roll Student" stickers.

Ummmmm why would that bother a parent of a child with Down Syndrome? This guy hasn't thought it through.

When parent puts a bumper sticker about their child on the car, it's not so much for everyone else, but for their child! It shows my kid, "Hey! I'm so proud of you that I'm willing to share it with the whole world!"

Should I be any less proud of my child who has Down Syndrome? NO WAY! Not only does it show my daughter how proud I am of her, but it creates awareness for others who may one day find themselves sitting face to face with a doctor who is telling them results of their prenatal testing.

Did you know it is now estimated that 95% of babies with Down Syndrome are aborted? How is this different than genocide? The Down Syndrome community is so incredibly awesome. I cannot even begin to describe it. It's not just that your child has a disability and there is a common bond, but there is something truly special about people who have DS. It's not something I can even begin to describe. It is something you have to experience for yourself. But that community is slowly dwindling.

I have new aquaintance who is a first grade teacher in a HUGE metropolitan school district. Considering most kids with DS are now mainstreamed, she finds it quite odd that in the last 6 years she's not had one child with DS in her class. NOT ONE! Why??? Because they're being eliminated before they take their first breath. Mostly because medical professionals who only know the MEDICAL side of things encourage parents to terminate. But OB/GYN's, unless they have a personal connection to Down Syndrome, don't know anything past that child's first couple weeks of life. If they did know more, they'd realize it's not such a big deal! I'll tell you what, if my child had just DS to deal with in life.....HA!...life would be GRAND!

So I'm gonna put TEN MORE bumper stickers on my car, all about Down Syndrome. When you're sitting behind me at a stop light you can choose to read them, and read about my kid. And then, one day when you're sitting in the doctors office, hearing that the baby you tried so hard for is not quite as "perfect" as you hoped, you'll remember my car, and remember that life with Down Syndrome is NOT a curse, it is a GIFT.

Edited to add: I and one other parent commented on the blog belonging to the writer of "Bumper Sticker Thinking". There were a couple other parents as well, but our comments inluded links to videos of kids with DS being SUCCESSFUL in life. Apparently he didn't like that. Maybe that was hitting below the belt in his eyes. Anyway, he deleted those links. Interesting.