“Kol Tuv”

Yesterday, it seems, Ricki finally got homesick. She called up (via her volunteer’s cell phone) to say that she missed me. But she agreed that she was also having a great time. But, after all, she OUGHT to miss me after 6 days!
And if you ask what I have been doing with her gone, I will answer “Wasting way too much time.” But one thing I did do was re-view a video on speech problems in children with Down syndrome. In the section on pragmatics, they mentioned that we all use set “scripts” when doing certain things, like closing a phone conversation. And these can be learned. My “script” for finishing phone conversations is “Kol Tuv” (“Be well”).
Now if I hadn’t heard that video yesterday, I’m not sure I would have noticed Ricki’s sign off: “Kol Tuv”. That’s my girl!

Ricki in Camp- and the Home Front

Well, according to Ricki’s volunteer, she is having a good time (and behaving herself as well). Yesterday I talked to the volunteer twice, but missed Ricki both times. She didn’t even call to say “good night”, which surprised me. This morning I called and chatted with Ricki for a few moments. She sounded ecstatic (they were going to sing and dance, her favorite pastime. When she answered the phone she said in a real teenager-y voice (real suave) “Hello Mom! What’s up?”
The most amazing thing about Ricki being absent is that my day has become totally flexible. Very few things remain in the category of “Must be done by ___o’clock”. It’s a vacation within a vacation (school break). I can work several hours straight on a project, papers strewn about, and there is no need to stop in the middle, or to prevent Ricki from scattering things. Anyone who knows me knows that I can really get immersed in things, to the point that I reply to someone without really hearing them. Now I don’t even have Ricki around to make me surface from under the “waters” for some air!
The one who is enjoying Ricki’s camp the most is her brother two years her senior. He is the one who often has to help around the house in the wake of her shenanigans….and he doesn’t mind not having to share the computer with her either. (Sharing with me is bad enough!)
And of course I do miss her a bit. But not too badly. That’s because I’m imagining her relishing being a bit more independent.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Off to Camp She Goes

Yesterday afternoon I saw Ricki off to camp. She could have been singing (to the tune of Snow White) “Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it’s off to camp I go…”, she was so excited. The entire summer she has been looking forward to this camp, which entails 9 whole days away from home. It’s her first time at an overnight camp. She has been away from the house overnight on occasion, although it was always by a married sibling. We purposely sent her, so that she would/could tolerate overnights out of the house if the need would ever arise. It is also the longest I will be separated from her since she was born. The longest I have ever been away from her was for 4 days of my vacations.
Despite Ricki’s exuberance at going, I had qualms if she would actually hold up when actually at camp. So far she is doing OK. Of course, she had access to her volunteer’s cell phone for a quick “Good Night”, but apparently she did OK last night. (Gee, WE had to "rough it out" in camp without an umbilical cord of a cellphone......)
And here it is quiet, calm…. We’ll see who gets “ homesick” for the other first, she or I.

PS. On the topic of Snow White: Greg Palmer, in his book Adventures in the Mainstream makes a very interesting evaluation of Snow White and the seven dwarves. (I know that sounds weird, but see below, and you’ll se that it is not so strange.) His book is published by Woodbine House, but is already out of print, unfortunately. This book is very worth getting on an inter-library loan, even if you don’t have a child with special needs. It is a very fascinating look at two years in the life of his son, who has Down syndrome. I promise you, it’s interesting.
On Mr. Palmer’s web site ( http://www.gregpalmer.com/ ) I found that he has noted this about the alternate version (of Snow White) that he has authored:

“SNOW WHITE was written in response to extreme dissatisfaction with the Disney version, which reinforces the idea with young people that what you look like is very important - it is, after all, why the Dwarfs save Snow White, why they don’t bury her, why she eventually defeats the Queen; because she is indeed the fairest in the land. And then, after the Dwarfs have taken such care of her, she rides off with the first handsome prince who comes along, even though she has never exchanged a single spoken word with him. There is also the Dopey problem; the Disney character being an obvious developmentally disabled adult who is continually abused physically and verbally by his "loving" brothers. My Snow White makes an intelligent decision about who she loves, and why (it’s the Grumpy equivalent) and the youngest Dwarf is named Peg. She is a developmentally disabled adult as well, but is treated by her siblings with love and respect.”