After reading the column, Long Journey on a Short Bus, and after my crying subsided, I felt compelled to write…

As I’ve said before, I have a younger sister named Rebecca. At 24 years old, her chronological age does not match that of her age in maturity.

She is very silly and sweet. She has a wicked sense of humor and a definite flair for the dramatic. My family always said that if she were “normal” she’d have been the one to run off to LA or NYC and pursue acting. She loves boys, dancing around her room to oldies, giving hugs, and tickling my older sister and I.

She also has Down Syndrome. I never lead with that because it automatically causes people to give a sympathetic smile and melancholy “aww.” Rebecca isn’t “Downs.” She has Down Syndrome. And she is amazing. She is high-functioning, which I credit in part to our parent’s relentless effort to develop her potential.

continue reading…

Bookmark to:
    

Our latest addition to the Imperfect Parent family, Karen Murphy, debuts today with her new column Long Journey on a Short Bus. You might have seen Karen previously bopping around places like Babble and her personal blog, Lion and Magic Boy. She will be writing about her unique experiences raising a special needs child — in her case, a 4-year-old boy with Down syndrome. Her inaugural column is unabashedly honest, and at the same time, in one commenter’s words, “heartbreakingly beautiful.” Go check it out.

Bookmark to:
    

As I sat in front of my computer this evening, getting fired up about other blog comments and posts, this evening’s American Idol episode played in the background.

I was in a bit of a salty mood tonight — husband is traveling, the dog has been sick (caused by stress from having my visiting 2 month old cousin with colic over, of all things), school has been hectic as Spring Break nears, and my parents are vacationing in the Dominican — which left me in charge of taking care of my younger sister.

Now typically I do not watch commercials — the power of digital video recording.  However, I was busy typing agitated comments and let the commercials run.

And now I am sitting here in tears.

I hadn’t heard of The Foundation for A Better Life — an organization that utilizes “various media efforts to encourage adherence to a set of quality values through personal accountability and by raising the level of expectations of performance of all individuals regardless of religion or race” — until their commercial came on.

The setting — a high school homecoming dance.  A beautiful young lady appears on the stage to announce the homecoming queen.  The winner — another beautiful young lady, who happens to have Down Syndrome. She enters the stage to applause.  Her face lights up — and my eyes fill with tears.

You see, my younger sister Rebecca is a wonderfully smart, silly, and sweet gal. She loves playing pranks, watching movies, singing, and Sandra Bullock.  Seriously, she LOVES Sandra Bullock. She also happens to have Down Syndrome.

As I rewound the commercial for another look, I caught the caption - “A True Story.”  How wonderful.  How beautiful.  How inspiring.

If you need a break from negativity, take a few seconds to watch the commercial.

Bookmark to: