The child is a boy! The father shouted with a much baritone voice mixed with richness and depth.
The delight, laughter, and joy from his female siblings knew no bounds as they wanted someone to play, and chit-chat with their dad. They felt that Dad needed a boy child to help sustain all the long-unending sometimes hard-knock conversations.
Mom, on the other hand, was excited as always from inception, but she kept the gender a surprise to the whole family. You could imagine the wonder and surprise it was for everyone in the family.
The long-awaited son had been born! Giggle! Giggle his toothless smile was a moment to behold. Mom always spirited to watch him jiggle and sway his tiny feet in the bath. Bubba! Bubba! The great! She would sing to him whilst having his bath. Such a joyous child! She said.
On turning one, bubba was yet to start walking, nor was he uttering words. He used a lot of babble to communicate and he crawled within a short distance. He was quite quick to tears than usual. As a result of this, Mom decided to go for an evaluation when he clocked two.
She discovered that Bubba had down syndrome. This is a genetic condition that causes mild to complex physical and developmental delays. Bubba’s mom couldn’t control the hot tears that ran down her face. Bubba had a flat facial profile, an upward slant to the eyes, and small ears and a tongue always stuck out.
She began to read more about this special need and care. It dawned on her that his delay in walking and speaking was a result of having a low muscle tone. She was constantly carrying him at the back or on her shoulders. This took a different tour of the family than expected.
The attention, care, and support naturally shifted toward her only son. Bubba!
Glass children are siblings of a person with a disability. The glass refers to how transparent people view them and place laser focus on the child with the disability. They are looked through by their parents and their needs aren’t meant.
The sick child gets all the attention. In reality, they appear strong, but they aren’t. They are most times emotionally neglected; due to the parental energy, the special child takes.
Watch out for Part 2
