My first memory of really recognizing I was different was in 4th grade in a mostly white town. I was riding a different school bus with my friend to go to her house. A boy (whose name I will always remember) started chanting "Ching chong, wah wah..." over and over again throughout the bus ride. I ignored him. I had no power on this bus . I was stunned that a boy I didn't know would tease me like that. I went home and told my parents, and my dad joked about it, saying next time I should tell him he speaks "Gobble Gobble." We all laughed, and laughing was what I needed that night. I tucked it away in my memory, but I knew that the incident had bothered me. My mom found out another time that I was being teased, and she took action and initiated what became a cultural immersion day in my elementary school. In middle school, a girl in my class made sure I understood I didn't belong at her table, motioning to all the other girls at the table and announci...
While sharing our journey with Down Syndrome, we want to help other parents with our experiences, as well as spread awareness about what it means to have Down Syndrome (spoiler: it means great things!).