Get it Down: 31 for 21" Blogging for DS Awareness

Today marks the beginning of Down Syndrome awareness month! Our colors are yellow and blue.... though we are slightly eclipsed by the more popular pink month....breast cancer awareness month (another good cause) but you don't see a whole lot of celebrities or companies jumping behind an supporting Down Syndrome Awareness.

However Wal-Mart supports a lot of Buddy walks in smaller communities nation wide, our local Schnucks Supermarkets hire a lot of adults with developmental disabilities (including Down Syndrome) so they support awareness that way. Toys R Us and discovery toys have had children with Down Syndrome in their national advertising campaigns. I also swear the cover of our new YMCA bulletin had a beautiful young man with ds on it... but all I really can see is that this young man is just so darn cute...it takes a while to get to this point in your life when you are parent of a child with special need. It does happen...child first...not the disability. In fact I rarely ever see the ds anymore...just my adorable children!

I really wish I knew the best way to support awareness (usually just driving my van helps....I have enough stickers). As a family we are sort of an in your face type and with six children we really are hard to miss!

Actually I used to wonder why we really had an awareness month anyways...till I met people who didn't even know what Down Syndrome is! For us this list has included social workers, religious people, McDonald's employees, med students (I really hope I don't get them in the ER someday), high school students, educators, and this list is ever growing.

Since adopting Colin I found out going to college didn't mean that you actually understood what Down Syndrome is. Many people do not understand. I have met them in all paths of our journey as a parent of children with Down syndrome.

I have never seen anything these people all have in common. Except for the ignorance about on of the most common genetic abnormalites in children. These are not only people who didn't finish school, they are older, they are are younger, they are rich, they are poor, they are intellectual. They have been our friends, our neighbors, and people we have met in our general daily lives.

But the one thing they do have in common is that they just don't understand what Down syndrome is....let alone what it entails to raise a child with Down syndrome.

So I thought I would participate in the "Get it Down: 31 for 21" -Blogging for DS Awareness. Read here for further information http://unringingthebell.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/09/get-it-down.html

So for the next thirty one days I will make a point to write every day continue to tell you about our daily lives and show you that despite each my children's' extra chromosome they have more things in common with us, than differences from us. I really see this everyday when I watch them with our two "typicals". Most of the time I actually feel that our life is more closer to "normal" than what most people would think! By the way did you know that "Typical is overated" anyways.

So have a great October and please support you local Buddy Walk (if it has yet to take place) ....ours was over a month ago.....and we kicked royal booty! Thanks to all our supporters!!

So today I will kick off this off with.....the squirrel and the walnut!