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"Pushy" Deaf Kid's Mom
"Pushy" Deaf Kid's Mom -- Posted by MilesRuss@gmail.com on 03-09-05 03:56
Article Author: Russ Miles
Article Copyright: 2005
Author Contact Email:
mailto:MilesRuss@Gmail.com
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"Pushy" Deaf Kid's Mom
There are some things that we as persons, born on this planet, have no
control over. Our own birth defects are included in that scenario.
While there are those who believe that we ourselves choose what
obstacles we must face and overcome in this life, prior to our earthly
birth, I am not one who buys that. I did not choose to be born deaf.
Be that what it may, I was entered this world with a 70% hearing loss
in both ears. It didn't take my Mother long to recognize my hearing
deficiency. She had been born a hearing impaired person too. My Mother
determined that her child would not hide his deficiency, as she had
been allowed to do.
Mom, as a child, had many siblings. Most of her sisters were older than
she so her's were hand-me-down clothes. Poor, nearly deaf, she had
taken a back seat in classrooms in an effort to not call attention to
herself and her perceived inadequacies. Always, when called upon by a
teacher, Mother would say, "I don't know..." As she told me,
"The alternative answer would have been even more humiliating, I
didn't hear!"
I would never be allowed to make such an unwise determination. Every
year, the first day of grammar school, Mother would march me before the
teachers and tell them, in no uncertain terms, "This boy can not
hear. I want him in a front desk, and I don't want him moved around
the room!"
As any otherwise normal kid would, I hated it. I asked her, "Why do
you have to make such a big thing about this? I hear alright," I
insisted.
"Of course you do," was her reply. "Because, I love you, I want
you to hear what your teachers say and not have the articulation
problems that I've had learning to form your own words correctly.
I didn't really comprehend, until later, the significance of the
second part of Mother's answer. But yeah, I knew that she did love
me. Even though I often resented the seating restriction, I was ever to
be found occupying a front desk.
As a direct result of my "Pushy Mother's intervention," I was not
distracted by classroom conversations which were not part of the
curriculum. I couldn't get away with anything because the teachers
would catch me. And, I learned to properly pronounce most words because
I "Heard" them. Mother's vocabulary was excellent, her speech
clear, as she had invested many childhood hours in a dictionary,
looking up words that she felt she might need with emphasis on
pronunciation. In grade school, I was spared that responsibility which
I would not have taken upon myself anyway.
It wasn't until high school that I learned to be stupid in my
selection of where to sit. I never even considered that perhaps
misunderstanding assignments, or not hearing what instructors actually
said, had something to do with how hard I had to struggle.
Later, I was witness to what might have happened to me if not for
having a "Pushy Mom." A cousin inherited the same type of hearing
loss I was born with. His mother didn't bother to be pushy on this
issue. He was shuffled along through school and treated like someone
with a learning impairment. No wonder, for when he spoke he sounded
retarded.
For a while, as an adult, I sold hearing aids. When I checked my
cousin's hearing, it was virtually identical to my own. Only then,
did I fully comprehend and appreciate the wonderful gift my mother had
given me by being "Pushy."
If you have a child that doesn't have excellent hearing, consider
becoming a "Pushy Parent," if only on this one issue. It is one
thing that you can do for your child ~ on this planet ~ to level the
playing field while he or she is too young to appreciate it.
Russ Miles is author of the novel, For Sale By Owners:FSBO.
A "Seasoned Real Estate NAR=AE Broker," Russ is "Disabled by
Multiple Sclerosis." FOR SALE BY OWNERS:FSBO ISBN 0-595-28703-4,in
trade paperback,is available purchase by phone or via
Internet:1-800-Authors to order direct!Adobe e-book & hard cover
editions also available at Amazon.com at Barnes and Noble and other
fine booksellers.Comments: MilesRuss@Gmail.com.
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