A New Experience for Your Family
A New Experience for Your Family
Grandparents are often concerned about the impact on the rest of the family – children and other grandchildren. Here’s what some of our grandparents found:
“If anything, my family pulled together for support of the parents. We have a large family of cousins, aunts and uncles. They all love her and include her in the family functions.”
“The initial impact on the family was sorrow, but with time, all our grandchildren loved her dearly and treated her the same as any other child.”
“My grandchild was in the hospital eighty-nine days. My husband and I visited four times a week. The other children, who live out of state, came several times to visit. My son-in-law set up a ‘blog’ and kept everyone up to date on almost a daily basis. Everyone was able to chart our grandson’s progress and came to know him even though they never had met him. He passed away at three months.”
“There were no big changes at all. Our other grandchildren accepted him, saw and respected his limitations, and enjoyed him.”
“The other grandchildren accept her as if she were like them, but also know at the same time, that she is not. They do understand that she is different. They play with her and include her in their play. They do allow for her special needs. It is amazing the compassion and camaraderie they have with her. Sometimes they interpret how she is and that actually helps me see the situation from a child’s perspective.”
“My wife and I felt for the longest time that our kids may have been ashamed of their child. It seemed that the only time she was out was to go to the doctor’s or to come to our house. My wife and I take her out with us when we have her. People stare or give you funny looks, sure. They are ignorant of the condition and should be ignored or enlightened if possible.”