I got a call from Sarah, our youngest daughter, today saying that she had visited my blog. Of course, her young eyes, being much more oriented to detail than mine, immediately caught one of what I'm sure will become many, mistakes in my posting. It seems that I have once again gotten a bit confused about Walker III's birthdate. He is about to turn thirty three in August, not 34 as I had indicated in my profile.
When Walker was just a little fellow and was learning all the things that pre-schoolers learn, one item on my list of things to teach him was his birthdate. One afternoon, after a particularly lengthy round of car pools for the girls during which I drilled him incessantly, he finally mastered it. When I picked Molly up after a choir rehearsal or soccer practice, I boasted to her that Walker had finally learned his birthday and asked him to show Molly what he had learned. "August Twenty-fifth" he piped. As I gave Molly a "see, I told you so look", she retorted that that was pretty impressive, but that his birthday was actually August Twenty-seventh. It took several more years to re-teach Walker the correct date. It wasn't nearly so difficult to correct the date on my blog.
May all my mistakes be easily corrected.
Blessings, Janie
1 comment:
Janie,
After having read THE WALKER STORIES, I have been pleading with you to publish your series of short stories about your son. You are an excellent writer, and your extraordinary family provides a rich source of ideas for many books.
I met Walker III and his younger sister, Sarah, for the first time when I was volunteering in the Sunday School class for four-year-olds. Both Sarah and Walker were beautiful, well-behaved, and absolutely delightful. Walker was even learning to read! Glancing over the registration cards after class, I was puzzled why Walker was six years old and in his sister's four-year-old class. Walker and Sarah seemed like twins to me. A co-teacher, who had known Walker since birth, explained that he had Down Syndrome. I had never known a child with Down Syndrome before. It was wonderful to discover that he was so charming and precious, and not at all like the horrid descriptions of Down Syndrome that I had read in old textbooks. All these years later, Walker is still a joyful miracle and a dear friend to me.
You were a pioneer in developing better ways to teach children with Down Syndrome. For many years Walker has been a contributing member of society. Your words will teach us all in an entertaining way.
Please keep writing!
Mimsy
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