Tip Toe Carefully Through Social Situations

The last two weeks I have cut out of work early on Friday to spend some time with Neal. Both weeks we have gone out to lunch without the boys and only Quinn (it is much less hectic that way - oh don't get me started on how active those boys of mine are). For some time I have been thinking about how social situations are impacted by having a child with a disability. You have really high moments and really low moments.

On the high moment side - last week a waitress came over our table and said that Quinn was beautiful. She started up a conversation and just slipped it in that she has a niece with Down syndrome. I was struck with how she let us know that she knew in one of the smoothest ways possible. What an awesome woman!!! This was similar to a previous situation when we were sitting outside a store waiting. The boys were running around like they tend to do (remember my comment above), and Neal and I were sitting with Quinn. This man walks past us and then doubles back. He proceeds to say congratulations on your baby girl and how he wants to tell us about his brother who also has Down syndrome. He tells us what his brother has accomplished and how he is blessed for having a brother who happens to have Down syndrome in his life. Then just today a teenage girl who seemed a bit shy told us that Quinn was beautiful. She didn't appear to be the type of person who tends to strike up conversations with strangers. That was just one beautiful moment that she felt she had to tell us that. HAPPY HAPPY DAY! Oh the beautiful moments....

Then there are the other ones... the r-word being used to reference how a pair of shorts looked when trying them on at a store, being asked if Quinn is always so happy because of the Down syndrome - and then this person appearing shocked when I said HECK NO, and the always uncomfortable feeling when a conversation seems to be going well and then takes an unintentional ugly turn.

But for right now, I am living high on the high moments.

-Karyn