Itsy Bitsy Spider and other Childhood Traditions

There must be something about the age...the age where you have to sing familiar ditties such as the Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Wheels on the Bus, If You're Happy and You Know It, Old MacDonald and the ABC song until you are blue in the face. The age where they want you to read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "Panda Bear, Panda Bear", 50 times a day, and then just "one more time Mom". The age where children recognize the difference between all the verses of "Baby Bumblebee" and trying to cheat them out of a verse or two to save one's sanity.

This is the age where we are now. And I must confess, I could not be any happier or more delighted. Why? Why be so elated for the repetition, the monotony, the joy of the ritualistic childhood norms? Probably because I was not sure exactly what to expect of Jackson's childhood, and just how many "norms" there would be. There are too many to count; his love of books, his love of music, his love of banging pots on the floor, his love of anything which makes a really, really loud noise! But here we are - mired in the second year of his life - and oh, how glorious these moments and rituals are.

One of the realities of parenting a child with Down syndrome, is the mandate that you slow down your pace. But from that slower pace, comes the gift of enjoying those childhood moments, which may for some parents, rush by too quickly and un-noticed.

As parents of children with special needs, we are supposed to appreciate every moment, every milestone. And we do, but sometimes, just sometimes, we wonder...are our children doing as well as they can, are they doing as well as other children with special needs? We read of the accomplishments of other children with special needs, their milestones which may be different from those of our children - and then the double whammy, my child not only has special needs, but maybe is not developing at the same pace as other children with Down syndrome.

I guess as parents, we are all inclined to compare our children - and parents of special needs children are no different. We all want our children to excel, to succeed, to achieve their highest potential. I, too, am guilty at times of the comparison game. It tends to bring me down, and take my focus away from all of Jackson's successes (truth be known, I do this with my typical children too). And as October is Down syndrome Awareness month, it is time to set aside the comparisons, and celebrate all that is different, and all that is the same. Some may walk sooner, talk sooner, and some may know their ABC's before others.

But in the end, they have all brought something so priceless to their families, the need to slow down the frantic pace of life and just enjoy another round of "Itsy Bitsy Spider".

Hope you can join us for our Buddy Walk this year - it is sure to be bigger and better than last year's event!

PS - I encourage you to visit a blog called, “Lovely and Amazing”. This blog details a mother’s life with her two children, one of whom has Down syndrome. Her blog entry, titled “Humble Pie” inspired this blog entry.