Never A Dull Mental Moment

Anyone who says that people with Down Syndrome are a step behind, mentally speaking, hasn't met my daughter. She thinks on that other level I so often refer to and I'll admit I may never truly understand the way she thinks. So, maybe I'm a step behind her.

It's so unfair for people with Down Syndrome, especially children, to be categorized in the mentally delayed column without ever realizing what they are capable of. Admittedly, my daughter may never do calculus, but she never has a dull mental moment. Like so many other children, she has a vivid imagination and childish glee for mischief. She sees open doors as opportunities of escape to the big, wide world of possibilities. Our dog is really her own personal pony and crayons can decorate so much more than paper.

Although she understands right from wrong, she doesn't see the point, in other words, it's all good. When the dog is hungry, open the refrigerator and feed her. Pouting is a worthwhile and useful tool right up until someone catches on to the scheme and then selective hearing can bail you out. She finds joy in the strangest things, for example, pulling into the local Wal-mart parking lot makes her cheer and a full six blocks before home, she starts calling for the dog. Who says she's mentally delayed when she can point the way to home, grandma's house and school, while my nine year old barely remembers what street she lives on.

It all reverts back to the way they think. It isn't so much the measure of intelligence but rather a way of thinking. A friend of mine calls it "thinking around a corner" and it's exactly that. What's truly ironic is, what I consider clever thinking on her part, she considers ordinary and necessary. She made up four signs and I was amazed that she created them on her own. When asked if she made them up all by herself she shrugged and said, "yeah" like it was just another day at the office.

Everyone is clever in their own right, but with kids who have Down Syndrome, that cleverness takes on a whole other depth and meaning. They aren't clever because they are trying to outwit somebody, they're clever because it's a necessity in their life. Line of thought is an ongoing process of mazes and tunnels that need to be searched thoroughly and cataloged. It's like the world's most intricate and amazing puzzle placed gently inside the head of a beautiful child and left there for safe keeping. They take longer to absorb the analytical side of life simply because they already grasp the meaning and beauty of life.

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