“Oh, But These Kids are SO Loving!!”

If kids with Down syndrome are so loving, why does Ricki
-stick her tongue out at her brother
-purposely wipe her dirty hand on my skirt to make me mad (don't say I am "reading into it"- I saw the EVIL glint in her eyes)
-come home from school to write diatribes on whoever she is angry with

I laugh at this stereotype---because that is what it is, a stereotype
(although, in all fairness, she does have ADHD too….)
But lots of kids with Down syndrome get angry--- and I suspect the smarter ones… as they SEE what people are thinking of them, and it makes them MAD!

Looking beyond stereotypes- two vignettes

Today, on my way home after taking Ricki to school, I saw a small boy who wanted to cross the street. He had long curly peyot (ear locks), and the rather distinctive dress of the chassidic ultra-orthodox. Anyone seeing this child from afar would assume that his parents have no connection with the “outside” or modern world. But I can assure you that they do. No, I do not know the family. But I recognized his cochlear implant, a “brand” from the modern world. I was glad as I saw him take off in a run after crossing the street, probably quite unaware of how lucky he is to have been born in this generation.
Tonight, I was at a meeting, and I returned home accompanied most of the way by an acquaintance from Jerusalem. To the casual observer, she looked your typical orthodox lady: wig, long sleeves, long skirt. During our conversation she mentioned that she works as an advocate in the courts. I hadn’t known, and certainly would never have guessed it!