Myths on Down Syndrome Part 1

MYTH: It most be so hard to have a child with Down syndrome

FACT: It is hard to be a parent. A child with Down syndrome is a child. A child that just happens to have an extra chromosome. Down syndrome is such a small part of who he or she is. Other than having to schedule therapies as it is convenient and preferred for each individual family, having a child with Down syndrome is no different than having any other child. You feed them, change them, give them baths, and most important, you love them.

MYTH: I am sorry your child has Down syndrome

FACT: One of the most devastating, and unfortunately most common statements a parent with a child with Down syndrome will ever hear.
What exactly are people referring to when they say they are sorry? The life of a child with Down syndrome is to be celebrated, it is to be cherished, and it is to be admired.
What might seem like something to be sorry about, is in reality, one of the most life altering, heart changing journeys these parents will ever take. They will be blessed in unexpected ways, and there is nothing to be sorry about that!
(I was a sorry sight when I was dealing with Nichole's diagnosis, but NOTHING about her can be labeled as sorry)

MYTH: Your child will always live with you.

FACT: Your child might always live with you too. There are no guarantees :)
Now a days, adults with Down syndrome live fulfilling and productive lives. Many are able to live on their own, they hold good jobs (yes, we are finally moving forward from the traditional bagging of groceries, or busing tables) and many eventually marry, and recently, some have started having families of their own.