Friday

So Im about to become one of those mamas for a minute... one of those who has a kid with special needs who is offended... maybe im just overly sensitive, I dont know.... but this is where Im at today, so if you dont feel like reading, then dont worry about todays post... :)

So we heard a local church was doing VBS soon... they are a big church with a good reputation for being involved in the community, plus this VBS had a morning session and an afternoon session, so we thought it would be fun for the kids.... so Daniel called them to see if they had a class for Wallace as well as Gabe and Emma.  The person in charge wasnt there so they told him they would call back.

Well, when they called back, I was the one to answer the phone because Daniel wasnt there, so the lady talked to me.

She told me that since Wallace has down syndrome and they didnt know how he would behave, he could come on the first day and then they could decide if he would be allowed to come back the rest of the week... they could just take it day by day.  And also, they didnt have anyone who could spend one on one time with him during the afternoon or remind him to go to the bathroom, so he couldnt come in the afternoons at all.

Ok, I get that I am probably oversensitive, but really?  Just because he has down syndrome, you dont think you could handle that - they didnt even ask about his personality or what he can do - they just stuck a down syndrome label on him and automatically deemed him to hard to handle.  But what really got to me was the afternoon issue - Wallace does not need a one on one aid to stand beside him constantly, and he is potty trained mostly, he just needs reminders (about every 2 hours, not every 5 minutes) to go - Im sorry, but they arent going to have kindergarteners at their VBS - same thing.

I just think its weird that a church that big who has their reputation for being out in the community cant handle one kid.... last time I checked, if you have "church" in your name, it means you are supposed to be reaching out to the ones that need love/support the most... but then again, "church" is not a good word in my mind anymore - due in part, to incidences like this.

I dont know... it just seems weird that a church this size doesnt have any youth volunteers that could be a one on one aid for Wallace since that is what the church thinks he needs.

Like I said, Im probably being oversensitive, but if you have ever met Wallace, then you know we arent asking that much from the church.... he is super capable, he can physically do everything that Gabe and Emma can, he can sit still and listen for longer periods of time, he is mostly potty trained, he eats nicely, he isnt overly aggressive.... he can get a bit testy, but its nothing that a normal 5 year old wouldnt do.... I just dont see the big issue, but then again, Im his mom, so....

I just cant believe that a church this big doesnt have any people with special needs going there.... oh wait, yes, I can...