Katie is 9 and Sam is 2 and had Down's Syndrome. Two kids at more opposite ends of the scale you would struggle to meet. I am 37 and have been happily married to Pete for 13 years. I am an active Scout leader and a qualified Dancing Teacher, I also produce our local scout gang show.
Well thats us! Life is always chaotic, never dull, sometimes just damn hard work, and sometimes a more amazing experience than I could ever have hoped for.
I have learnt more from kids over the years than I could dare to hope that they have learnt from me.
Kids are inspiring, amazing, hilarious, and on occasion soul destroying.
I often look at my kids as im sure all of us do and feel a sense of total wonder "We made this!, this person who has likes and dislikes, wants and needs, that are independant of mine" How amazing is that feeling.
The thing I find so facinating is that however well we know our children, they probably know us better than we know ourselves, if I take time to talk to my daughter, she has some amazing insights into my personality that I would probably have never considered.
As for my son, well he was like a nuclear device dropping into my world. Six little words "We think your baby has Down's" and in that split second the whole of your life changes. All normal function ceases for a while and you live with a constant feeling of falling off a steep cliff and not quite being able to grasp your way back into real life.
Slowly very slowly the realisation kicks in "This is my life!" and you find a new normal.
Admittedly it can look far from normal to strangers. Im sure im known in our local supermarket as the loopy woman who sings "Miss Polly had a Dolly" whilst trying to push a trolley and teach my son the sign language to go with it. You can picture the overall frantic effect!!!
This probably also explains why I have such an odd collection of stuff in my fridge most of the time.
