Carpool
Wednesday, August 13th, 2014From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
My husband’s cross fit coach is our neighbor. He is married with two young children and a dog. He is a small business owner and Navy veteran. But what makes him really unique is that his wife is completely blind. She is very independent and athletic. As a lifelong blind person, she has found amazing ways to cope with her lack of sight. Also, she is determined to give her kids a “normal” life.
When I learned this nice family had two children, I couldn’t help but wonder how they went about their daily activities. This really made me curious, because some days I struggle to be a parent with all five of my senses. Imagine watching a toddler without the benefit of sight. I am impressed at her abilities and the challenges she overcomes.
This year, their oldest child started kindergarten at Jack’s school. Despite their situation, the school will not provide bus service on account of the school’s close proximity. With her husband’s business, this left a blind woman and a five year old (and three year old sibling) forced to walk to school. When they informed us of the predicament, we immediately offered to take their son to school with us.
We are turning the situation into a reason to teach our kids the value of stepping up and lending a hand. My boys got to meet her service dog, a beautiful German Shepherd. They also got to ask innocent questions about blindness, and she has been very accommodating of their questions. Their son is understandably nervous, but he is a happy little guy. We are glad we get to teach our kids a little about disabilities and even more happy to teach and show them the value of helping others.
