And I took her along to the - there's a mother, there's a mother and toddler group for Down's children, just near where I live, so I took her along there when she was maybe, I don't know, maybe three or four months old, so I did go and see the other, the older kids with Down's syndrome, so it was kids up to about 5, and that, that was really really helpful, because these other kids were just running around like ordinary children. I mean, sure, they're a little bit delayed in what they do, some are affected more than others, but I remember going there and there was a little five year old, and her mum said that she went to ballet classes and that she was starting at the local primary school. I think I remember just being completely floored that she was going to ballet classes, and that a child with Down's syndrome could do that. But that, that was just something really positive, I remember, because you, I suppose you think that you might not be able to, you know, take your child to things like that, but the fact that this girl was going, just was really good. And I mean I think you could tell that her speech wasn't as good as you'd expect for their age, but I mean, apart from that, it just looked like lots of happy kids playing around, and their mums were very nice and very supportive.
I suppose I remember one of them telling me how she, she'd had an amniocentesis and the doctors had told her that they could get rid of this problem, and that she had just said, “This is a baby. What are you talking about?” And, you know, just thought the whole thing was horrendous. But things that people, I suppose people who do have Down's children, I mean, the parents they are quite accepting of their children, and they're from every, you know, there's some younger mothers there, some older, and there's some from obviously poorer or better off backgrounds, so - I mean, I suppose you get the people going there who are kind of more well adjusted or whatever, but, you know, they all love their children, the kids were doing fine and were playing with their brothers and sisters and doing well.
And of course you get to hear from the other parents what sort of questions to ask, and who should be coming to see you, and should you get a speech therapist, and what should they be doing [laughs]. You get a lot of that kind of support, so, and again, that's, that's been really, really good. |
