The topic itself makes me sick and I am popping into my blog in small intervals to write it. The draft sits, waiting and patient.
This post is a simple moment of gratitude.
I was just sitting with my son chatting. We were chatting about things he enjoys. Laughing. He was telling me funny stories.
I walked outside and steped on one of my daughter's pet snails. I feel bad but she is very understanding. She tells me her brother suggested she paints the snails shells to tell them apart.
Earlier my son was playing with his sister and he dumped glue in her hair, ugh. She signs at home even though she is profoundly hearing. Her signs were big and full of giggles as she trotted off to the shower.
My husband comes in from the vet and tells us our dog has an ear infection. Earlier the other dog was whining missing his brother and my son insisted jazz music would help and I stood by the classical music choice. Well it turns out according to my husband jazz is the dog's xanax. My son tosses a "told you" at me and laughs.
Haddy wants the computer to show his sister something I told him to wait so he went to her to hang out while I type this short post. "Hey let me read it first before you post it OK?"
"Sure" I reply.
I decide it is time to post and turn back to find my son. He is playing with his sister. They are laughing and so involved. So just this once I will not show him my post first.
At his age he may not understand my gratitude. Anyone who has children will. The thing I am so grateful for is my family. We are Deaf, hearing, clumsy, funny, messy and just not the norm but we are happy. We only communicate in ASL at home.
Great post. Life at your house sounds like lots of fun.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious, does "We only communicate in ASL at home" mean that home is an ASL-only zone? Well, of course you read and write in English, but I'm talking about face-to-face communication. Do the hearing family members ever talk with each other in spoken English, or yell to another room to ask a question or tell someone to come into the room?
I think it's awesome that your family is so committed to ASL fluency and maintaining a home environment that is linguistically accessible to all.
Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGood question. I meant when we are together as a family at home. When we are all home togehter we sign. My deaf son will yell for me from another room and sometimes my daughter will also. More common is for me to ask someone in the room with me to go get the other person. To be honest I prefer to sign at home. I find it more relaxing then talking but if my son is not home we can talk.
If my daughter and I are upstairs and my son is downstairs we may talk. We do talk and sign when reading to my hearing daughter if my son is in the room. What is funny about that is she is fluent in Spanish and I am not so if the book is in Spanish I can't sign it but that is fair because she is the only one that gets it. My son also reads to her in ASL. This is not a big deal for my daughter since she has lived this way since birth.
After the kids go to bed my husband and I talk. We talk on the phone but not often. I mostly us text and email.
I know it sounds wierd but it works for us. Since we can all sign and my son is deaf it just makes sense for us to sign. My nightmare would be eating dinner and having to try and interpret everything for my son. Dinner is when we start our evening and the conversation is so much fun. My son is the master of debate so if he wasn't involve it wouldn't be as fun.
I hope that clears it up a bit. Language is just not a big deal in our house.
I was just talking about you this morning with Erik. You know what? I'm so grateful for you and our friendship. I still learn from you (even from things we did a few years ago -- what can I say? I'm slow sometimes, heh-heh)!
ReplyDelete=) HUGS to you and your family!
Liz I don't know how to comment on your blog! I saw the video of D!!! I miss you guys and was a focused student for his lesson. You son is a teacher! Uh, he is also so old! Summer is soon and we need to have a date.
ReplyDeleteI learned plenty from both of you and feel equal in the graditude. Oh, tell Erik I can sorta edit a movie on my computer now! Yea, who is the slow one????