Anderson is almost three. As we approach his third birthday, I’m starting to feel uneasy about the gap between him and his peers. He has few full words, mostly word approximations. Although he moves really fast, he can’t run. He can’t jump, despite his best efforts.
If I’m being honest, the last two don’t really bother me.
The hardest thing for me when we got Anderson’s diagnosis was the fact that he’d be living with an intellectual disability. I worried about him socially, but also about what he’d be able to do in school; what he’d be able to do after school.
I equated intelligence with success. I used to hold intelligence in the highest esteem.
But Anderson has changed me. More than wanting my children to be successful, I want them to be good people. In fact, if they turn into people who put other’s first, advocate for justice, protect the weak and comfort the broken, that is what I will hold in the highest regard.
Take one look on social media and it’s clear people with Down syndrome are breaking barriers. They are going to college, competing in pageants and running businesses. Of course, I hope for this kind of success for my son.
However, if this isn’t how his life unfolds, but he uses this gift, this extra dose of empathy, to make a difference in people’s lives- that will be enough.
I realize now, the teacher said “higher intelligence” because she really meant of higher importance. Perhaps she also meant that it is a gift from above.
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This article originally appeared at News Anchor to Homemaker.
