The Challenge Of Being The Mother Of A Child With Down Syndrome
For most parents, hearing the news that their child has Down Syndrome is often a very heavy blow. And perhaps for this reason, one of the first challenges that the mother of a baby with these conditions faces is dealing with the mixed feelings and ethical dilemmas that this news awakens.
However, time and love do their work and those who have lived this experience know perfectly well that being a mother of a child, no matter if it is Down or not, widens the heart to stratospheric levels, because only a giant heart is capable of give and receive a love as pure as that of a child.
Many times these fears are based on stereotypes that are simply wrong. Many moms experience the same as feminist Alison Piepmeier who tells very well how she felt when she found out that her daughter has Down syndrome.
“I was afraid that I would not be able to walk or speak, that I would have to quit my job, that I would not be able to love her (…) I was scared to death that she was, in fact, ‘defective’, and that she was not a human being full”.
Their experience is not unique, many parents feel the same when they are informed that their child has Down. Most are very afraid, especially due to the lack of information available to them or because of a low awareness of health personnel towards people with Down Syndrome.
A unique love story
It is natural that when parents are diagnosed with Down syndrome they have mixed feelings and fear. But many times these fears are based on stereotypes that are simply wrong.
Not surprisingly, some moms experience what feminist Alison Piepmeier felt when she learned that her daughter has Down Syndrome. “I was afraid that I would not be able to walk or speak, that I would have to quit my job, that I would not be able to love her (…) I was scared to death that she was, in fact, ‘defective’, and that she was not a human being full”.
Their experience is not unique, many parents feel the same and this often occurs due to the lack of information they have or because of a low awareness of healthcare personnel towards people with Down Syndrome.
As time goes by, the challenge of parenting becomes more bearable. At first, they will play with a baby who probably has less elaborate play activities than children their age, who may not be attracted to toys around him, and who will have attitudes that are inappropriate for his age throughout his life, however they will be the protagonists of a unique love story.
A syndrome that does not incapacitate
The parents of a child with trisomy 21 discover little by little that their children do not suffer more or less than any other child, that they enjoy like crazy in the park, that they value like no one the details that for others are simple.
These parents, like most parents in the world, also get up very early every day to help their child to fulfill their daily tasks, however their effort must be greater because they must collaborate with the education of their baby. an extra sweetness and patience.
It is possible that many times they have felt that they have to reorder or adapt the world so that their child could function in it, and the truth is that each family, organization or group that cares for Down Syndrome people has made society change, that people become more sensitive and aware that the life of a child with Down syndrome is not worth less or less worthy than that of any other human being.
Their work as parents has shown that the genetic condition of their children does not prevent them from achieving all their goals and even excelling at certain tasks. Nowadays, there are plenty of stories of people with Down syndrome who lead perfectly normal lives, because they manage to function in society with extraordinary ease.
They do it thanks to the support they have received from their parents, who like any other parent in the world want their children to be happy, to be as autonomous as possible, to be able to develop fully, to find their vocation, to work, to have friends, that they find love and that they enjoy life. And that like good parents they strive to make their children the best possible people.
