Trevor's Talk

We decided that we needed to have a talk with Trevor and Ella, (but really Trevor) about his relationship with his sister Aliza and her disability. We talked about differences in people and why it is important in this life to acknowlege the differences of others. We took him to his favorite restaurant (Five Guys Burgers and Fries, while Aliza was at school) and asked him to identify the differences of those in our family. He never talked about Alizas differences. We asked him what he knew about Down syndrome? He said it is where mommy works at the Buddy Walks. Yes, that is correct, I have a business to raise awareness for Down syndrome and sell our products at Buddy Walks. We further clarified for Trevor that Down syndrome means that Aliza has something extra, that no one else in our family has... it means that she sometimes may have a hard time understanding things that he knows, or that she may not be able to do some things that he can do easily. She has to work so much harder to do the things that he (and Ella) are able to do. But Aliza also can do many things that he can not do... she is very flexible and can do a split easily, can swim very well, and loves to sing. All of this over a hot dog and french fries!

I believe Trevor really enjoyed the conversation and attention. He wanted to keep talking with us about Down syndrome and Alizas abilities. He did not shut down or refuse to talk with us. And two weeks later, believe it or not, I think he is still thinking about our conversation and about Down syndrome. He seems to be more patient with Aliza, more sensitive to her uniqueness and all of the kids seem to be getting along much better with each other. Down syndrome will always be a part of our lives, and it is not something to hide or shun. Communication makes it less taboo... If I can talk about Aliza and Down syndrome with a stranger in a store, I should talk with her siblings too!