January 9, 2006 8:38 PM
Inside Out
Okay, this is what happens when your mother decides to devote her attention to her blog instead of you:
First, because we're having an unusually warm winter day - say 60 degrees - you take off all your clothes, put on your bathing suit with a swim ring around your waist and go stand next to the pool gate until a big brother and sister see you and bring you inside to report to Mama. Your mother says go get dressed - so caught up in blogging she missed the first great picture.
Second, when your mother sees how you dressed yourself and - finally finished blogging - demands a picture, you are so delighted by her attention you give the biggest possible smile!
That's my Daniel! Who did something I've never seen before with denim jeans - put on wrong side out - presumably from the hasty transition to the bathing suit. Daniel - who is nine years old and happens to have Down syndrome -normally dresses himself completely except for tying his shoes. But he does have a rather absent-minded professor streak about him. :) I like that. . .
Question: I've counseled mothers for years not to correct their children when they put on t-shirts backwards or inside out - until the child is confident and it's time to fine tune - but could you let your child out like this? I don't think I could.
Posted in Down syndrome, Family, Mothering | Permalink
Comments
I totally would. My boys wear costumes everywhere (even to my youngest's dedication) They LOVE to dress themselves and I figure, if we did not go out like we do then we wouldn't be able to touch as many people. I can safely say, even though I do not like to be noticed, my boys are changing me because we always get smiles, glances and friendly small talk. For some reason, when my boys dress in their costumes people seem to talk more.
Posted by: janet | January 9, 2006 10:47 PM
I like the absent-minded professor quality myself. I am glad, however, that while sitting in worship a few weeks ago, I noticed the tag on the outside of my dress, my mom was not snapping my picture! Now if only my husband didn't notice when I drive around with various objects riding on the hood of my car! Anyway, it doesn't get much cuter than this picture!
Posted by: Carrie | January 9, 2006 11:16 PM
I can't stop myself--nor did I realize I should--I always tell my boys when they have a shirt on backwards. My daughter changes her clothes all day long and I'm always just happy she is wearing something, inside out or not!
Posted by: Mel | January 10, 2006 2:25 AM
I'm with Mel, didn't occur not to correct. Today my 12yo son LOVES to wear ironed shirts, pressed khakis, etc (I'm convinced he'll choose an exacting profession like mechanical engineering)... but my daughter's a gypsy.
Posted by: floorplan | January 10, 2006 10:10 AM
What a beautiful picture! He is such a cutie pie!
Posted by: Mrs. DMG | January 10, 2006 2:54 PM
P.S. I love your new photo too. The pen was a nice touch:)
Posted by: Mrs. DMG | January 10, 2006 2:55 PM
Great picture!
My oldest son seemed to almost always put on his t-shirts backwards, and I would correct him. He also could not be taught to bother himself with such mundane tasks as hair-combing, and he would have happily dressed in rags. In fact, there was the infamous red t-shirt...
Then he got his first job, and that all changed. The overnight, dramatic transformation was almost comical. Extended family members would exclaim, "You combed your hair!" or "Your clothes look nice!" in shocked delight when they saw him.
When he was younger, he joked about starting a fad of putting your feet through the holes in your jeans so that the bottom half of the pants' legs would flap behind you. Somewhere we might have a picture or two of this "look", but it never caught on.
The inside-out jeans look has some possibilities, though.
Posted by: Rebecca | January 11, 2006 10:39 AM
