Would you?

I have three boys. Two of them have 46 chromosomes a piece and one of them is sporting 47 chromosomes. Yes, one of my boys has Down syndrome or Trisomy 21 meaning he has 3 copies of the 21st chromosome.

One son is handsome, charming, stubborn, genuine, unique, talented, farsighted, loquacious, witty, easily entertained, softhearted, levelheaded, loving, dishwater-blond haired and blue eyed.

One son is handsome, charming, stubborn, genuine, unique, loquacious, witty, easily entertained, softhearted, levelheaded, loving, can melt your heart with his smile, blond haired and blue eyed.

One son is handsome, charming, stubborn, genuine, unique, loquacious, witty, easily entertained, softhearted, loving, a copy-cat who loves to do what the big kids are doing, brown haired and hazel eyed.

Can you guess which child is which? Who is Jared, which is Joseph, and then who is Jackson. See I don't see the Down syndrome as a descriptive of my son. Some people do and I reckon that is okay; if he must have a label in life it might as well be Down syndrome. Jared is often labeled four-eyes and an advanced learner. He began talking at a very young age. Speaking to him at age 2 was like carrying on a conversation with 5 year old, it was nearly freakish looking back on it I can see that. But at the time, I did not realize how truly odd that was. Jackson? Well, he is labeled the curmudgeon in our household. He is like a little old man trapped in a toddler's body. So, that leaves Joseph. Joseph is my cherubim, my angel, my sweet-souled child that will NEVER become jaded like the rest of us do. His personality, his heart, and yes, his 47th chromosome won't allow it and neither will I.

Some might say I have rose-colored glasses on. Whatever. My life is MY LIFE, I know what I live and I know what I teach my kids. My oldest, Jared, the farsighted one is often picked on at school because he simply does not relate to the kids his age. His mind is ahead of theirs but his lack of maturity won't let him meld with the older kids. It is tough, he does cry about it from time to time and I hate it for him. I hate the idea that someday, someone will say hurtful things about Joseph and his cognitive abilities. I hate that someday, someone will say hurtful things to Jackson about his brother and tell him they cannot really be twins because they are so very different (when in fact they aren't that different at all). The world is full of haters, nay-sayers, and those that don't believe in treating everyone the same.

I do believe in treating them all the same and that is why I can see the beauty and handsomeness in all my boys. They are gorgeous little men who will someday be gorgeous men no matter what some people may think. So I guess my whole rambling here is about whether or not you can see past the 47th chromosome that belongs to the child I see as the one son that is handsome, charming, stubborn, genuine, unique, loquacious, witty, easily entertained, softhearted, levelheaded, loving, can melt your heart with his smile, blond haired and blue eyed? Would you?

(by the way, Jackson is my brown haired kid with hazel eyes and, therefore, Jared is paired with the first descriptive)


Until next time, hug your babies and never take for granted the blessing in your life.

Christie