A Family Like No Other

The ds community (or family) is made up of every religion, life style, economic status, political view, educational background, race, age, and geographical location. You might find a few similarities; but the common thread is a loved one with ds. We are bound together to fight for our child's quality of life and our desire to break down stereotypes and hatred towards our child.

Three times since Sadie has joined our family I have seen this community go CRAZY and trust me… these women can fight! I mean, we have been trained to be our children's advocates and if we feel our child is in danger… WATCH OUT!! Everytime it starts with an outsider, someone who is posing as a member of the community, who tugs on our hearts. We believe their stories, until their stories get too big, and someone does a little digging.

Who could blame us? Our hearts have doubled in size since our family joined this journey and we feel an instant bond with complete strangers who also landed in "Holland". But, something I have noticed, is when the 'wrong doer' is outed it doesn't stop. People start turning on each other . I think this is where our differences are most obvious. Some of us always want to root for the underdog, many are more seasoned and have put up walls, and others just like to watch the drama. Oh, and don't forget the complications technology has put on our relationships (we can't hear tone of voice or see body language on facebook or a forum). Many statements are misunderstood or blown out of proportion.

I'm not going to get into details; but I have one warning for 'our community'. We need to be cautious but not closed off. We need to keep ourselves open and willing to accept new members. We need to still be supportive and loving to those who are new on their journey. We will probably get duped again and we will rightfully be pissed off. But, maybe next time we can take a quick time out and remember why we are tied together, and respect our differences??

Just sayin'!

Oh, and BTW…. Our differences are what make our family a place where everyone can find someone who understands! Hopefully we didn't scare off any new mama's who need love, support, and guidance.