Excellent Article

Another great article Will Babies With Down Syndrome Just Disappear by Dr. Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I always appreciate his perspective and the way he puts things, very good at getting you thinking about the hard questions in life. We all need to take a step back and evaluate where society is headed with genetic testing and the possibility of a whole group of people being wiped out. Where does it stop? Sadly, I believe we in North America are not far off from following other Countries who practice gender selection. Scary thought.

Great resource

A friend of mine recommended this website as an excellent resource for parents of children with disabilities. Bloorview Kids Rehab is Canada's largest children's rehabilitation hospital. They have put together an online "how-to" magazine for parents of children with disabilities called Bloom. I love their reason for choosing this name: "The name BLOOM conveys our belief that every child blooms in his or her own unique way." The article I want to highlight today was written by the editor called "The Enough House". I love her perspective on life, our culture and parenting a child with disabilites. There are lots of other really great things to check out on the website as well.

Siblings of Children with Special Needs

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. It has been a very busy fall for many reasons. It seems like we have been dealing with one virus after another going through our house. Over the next few weeks, I hope to talk about some practical topics that we parents of special needs children face. Although Emma is our third child we often tell people that in some ways we feel like first time parents with her. Raising a child with special needs, especially with significant medical needs is a whole other world to learn about. As Emma is only just coming up to her first birthday, we are by no means experts in this area but have definitely learned a lot over the last year. So, I hope to bring up some issues that are unique to raising a child with special needs and perhaps share a few things that we have learned along the way.

One question that is often asked of us is "how are your other two children handling having a sibling with special needs". For us, our situation is a little unique because we set out specifically looking to adopt a baby with Down syndrome. So we had plenty of time to educate and prepare our other two children for what that would mean. Of course, you can only prepare yourselves so much and won't really know what it will be like until you are in the midst of it.

I believe our having adopted Emma was one of the best things we could have ever done for our other two children. Over this last year we have seen a lot of growth in their characters. Having a sibling with special needs has helped them become more sensitive, compassionate as well as less self-centered. Of course, it has not been easy all the time for them over the last year. They have had to sacrifice a lot and have had to share a big part of our time and energy, especially when Emma has been in the hospital. But, what this has taught them far out ways any difficulties they may have faced. This has helped them to see what is truly important in life and to be more accepting of those who are different. Through this we have tried to teach them that life is not about themselves, life is short and precious and we need to put others before ourselves. They have also seen how our faith and prayer have played an integral part in keeping our family strong through difficult times, like when Emma was awaiting open heart surgery.

In thinking about this issue, I came across a really good article in Today's Parent (click here to read article) that seems to give a really good balanced perspective as well as some practical tips in helping your other children. One thing we have really learned in our situation and heard from other parents as well, is a big part of your children's attitude towards having a sibling with special needs comes from your own attitude. If your attitude is very positive, your children will follow suit. When your children's attitude is very positive their friends will also follow suit. So, perhaps the first place to start in helping your children embrace the role of being a sibling to a child with special needs is to make sure that you have a healthy, positive perspective. Hope you will find this article helpful.

Eye to Eye: Down Syndrome

Here is another insightful video, from CBS, of one woman's experience with prenatal testing...

Choosing Life

Three years ago my wife and I were challenged with the need to pursue adopting a baby with Down syndrome when we discovered, among other things, that the termination rate for mothers who test positive for having a baby with Down syndrome is between 80 and 90%. This past December the Lord answered our prayers with a beautiful baby girl named Emma, pictured here with her equally beautiful mommy.

Along with pursuing the adoption itself, we have been passionate about creating awareness of the issue here in Canada. The Lord first answered this need through a McLean's magazine article we were interviewed for a couple years ago. We have also tried our best to set up an maintain this website, which definitely needs more time and expertise, to draw attention to the issue. Recently though, God has been using a very different platform to shed light on this issue.

When I first heard about the selection of Gov. Palin as John McCain's VP running mate I was very excited because I knew a bit about her family, specifically her new baby, through an Albert Mohler article I read a few months ago. I knew that this would bring attention to this whole issue, but I had no idea about the kind of reaction that would follow.

This morning I read a post on Justin Taylor's blog (one that I vistit regularly and highly recommend) that has really upset me about the following comments made by Dr. Andre Lalonde in a recent Globe and Mail article.

...others fear Ms. Palin's emergence as a parental role model sends a different message. As a vocal opponent of abortion, Ms. Palin's widely discussed decision to keep her baby, knowing he would be born with the condition, may inadvertently influence other women who may lack the necessary emotional and financial support to do the same, according to André Lalonde, executive vice-president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada.

Dr. Lalonde said that above all else, women must be free to choose, and that popular messages to the contrary could have detrimental effects on women and their families.

"The worry is that this will have an implication for abortion issues in Canada," he said.

Well Dr. Lalonde, let me say that I for one certainly hope that this will have an implication for abortion issues in Canada. I hope and pray that God will use this family as a positive example of one woman's choice for life. That seeing this family love and embrace this beautiful baby boy will challenge and encourage others to do the same.

Dobson on Bristol Palin's Pregnancy

The following quote is taken from Political Punch a blog written by ABC News Senior National Correspondent Jake Tapper.

September 01, 2008 1:52 PM

Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family issued the following statement:

"In the 32-year history of Focus on the Family, we have offered prayer, counseling and resource assistance to tens of thousands of parents and children in the same situation the Palins are now facing. We have always encouraged the parents to love and support their children and always advised the girls to see their pregnancies through, even though there will of course be challenges along the way. That is what the Palins are doing, and they should be commended once again for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances.

"Being a Christian does not mean you're perfect. Nor does it mean your children are perfect. But it does mean there is forgiveness and restoration when we confess our imperfections to the Lord. I've been the beneficiary of that forgiveness and restoration in my own life countless times, as I'm sure the Palins have.

"The media are already trying to spin this as evidence Gov. Palin is a 'hypocrite,' but all it really means is that she and her family are human. They are in my prayers and those of millions of Americans."

Life is Precious