It’s a Good Life!

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Barbara Frank

After our son was born with Down syndrome nearly 20 years ago, I researched the heck out of his diagnosis. One of the articles I found that gave me hope was a column by George Will. I knew of him and his reputation as a political columnist, but I didn’t know he had a son with Down syndrome.

The particular column I read was written in honor of his son’s 20^th birthday. He described his son Jon as a happy and wonderful human being with personal interests as well as a loving family. It made me feel like having Down syndrome wasn’t the end of the world for our child.

Last week, Will’s son Jon turned 40, and Will wrote another column in celebration of the day. In it he draws a picture of a man who loves nothing better than to take the subway to the baseball game and, after popping in to help out in the locker room, sit and enjoy the game with a cold one.

While many other 40-year-olds spend their afternoons stuck in traffic on their way home from work, thinking about how they’re going to make the mortgage payment this month or why their boss is making them miserable, Jon Will watches his beloved baseball team. Doesn’t sound like such a bad life, does it?

Our son has a good life, too. He likes to sing along to his favorite movies, bowl and play mini-golf, make hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, and talk to his favorite people on his phone. And then there are his video games; there’s nothing he likes better than to beat his dad or his brother or his sister’s boyfriend fair and square while playing video games.

So when you hear someone say that babies with Down syndrome are better off aborted because they would have had such a hard life, don’t believe it. Not for a second. Because there are many, many people like Jon Will and my son who live very good lives indeed.

Oh…one more thing: please don’t do as some of Will’s commenters did and defend abortion by saying that there are many babies with Down syndrome whose families can’t handle their diagnosis, because there are waiting lists of people who want to adopt those babies. They too will be loved and be able to enjoy life IF they are given the chance to have that life.

Hot Off the Press: Letting Go

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Barbara Frank

The third book in the “Stages of Homeschooling” series, Letting Go, is now available for $4.99 at Amazon.com.

Like the previous books in the series, this book is a combination of new material and a variety of articles I wrote while homeschooling my four children. Stages of Homeschooling: Letting Go (Book 3) focuses on:

“Making the Choice to Homeschool Older Children and Teens” (Motivations for homeschooling through high school)
“Which Subjects Should Homeschooled Teens Study?” (Includes those your local high school probably doesn’t offer, but should)
“The College Decision” (Not which college to attend, but whether your teen should even go to college)
“Preparing Our Teens for the World of Work” (The 21st century world of work, not the 20th)
“Tips for Homeschooling Parents” (Hints and hope for parents of homeschooled teens)
“Books and Resources” (A few of the best)
“Personal Memories of Homeschooling Teens” (Glimpses into the life of a longtime homeschooling family)

Learn more about the entire “Stages of Homeschooling” series HERE.

A Parent’s Righteous Anger

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Barbara Frank

We never sent our youngest son to school because we were already homeschooling our older three kids and didn’t think his having Down syndrome was a good reason not to homeschool him, too. That was our main reasoning. But underlying that logic was our fear that he might be mistreated in school.

When I went to school, the “retarded,” as they were called, were often made fun of and picked on by other students. But it never occurred to me back then that teachers might do that too. Adults were supposed to be above such things; teachers in particular were supposed to care about children and be kind to them.

As a parent, I wasn’t quite so naïve. Yes, there are good teachers out there, but I know from the experiences of some relatives and friends that you take your chances when it comes to your child getting a good teacher vs. a bad one. When your child has mental retardation (and particularly when he has speech delays or apraxia), you lay awake nights worrying that someone might hurt him in school and he wouldn’t even be able to tell you that it happened, much less share his pain so that you could help him recover from it.

So homeschooling our son resolved all sorts of problems for us. But not everyone can homeschool their special needs kids. Take this single dad, for example. His 10-year-old son has autism and as a result has difficulty communicating at times. But he’s normally a sweet kid, so when he started acting out in school, his dad became concerned. Then he sent his boy to school with a recorder in his pocket and soon discovered the ugly truth that his son could not tell him.

My heart breaks for this man and his son, and for all parents of special needs kids who can’t homeschool them. What you will see in this video is righteous anger:

Quote of the Day

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Barbara Frank

Love this Phyllis Diller quote:

It would seem that something which means poverty, disorder and violence every single day should be avoided entirely, but the desire to beget children is a natural urge.

LOL! Back in the day, she was considered pretty wild. Here she is in all her, erm, glory:

Construction Zone: Proceed with Caution!

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Barbara Frank

As you can see by our new look, we’re making some changes here. We’re also switching my blog to the BarbaraFrankOnline.com domain. So please be patient with us as it’s a slow process, and we also get interrupted a lot. Thanks for understanding!

P.S. If you’re a blog subscriber, we’ll do our best to keep the feed uninterrupted, but should you stop receiving posts, please visit www.barbarafrankonline.com to resubscribe.