Up Close & Personal

 My daughter has elfin ears, impossibly long eyelashes, and super-fine, straight brown hair that defies all attempts at restraint. But I can’t bear to cut it, because it glows red-gold in the sunlight. She has a smile that slays everyone she meets and a silvery, dusky giggle that sprinkles fairy dust on all the ordinary moments of life.

But there’s nothing particularly extraordinary in this description. As I sit here writing it, I realize that it sounds like any mom’s description of her kid. How do I communicate to you that my daughter is not just a Person With Down Syndrome? That she is a unique individual, just like your child and your neighbor’s child? That she’s worth getting to know beyond her bonus chromosome? That she has value simply because she is a human being?

…Although it’s been overshadowed, October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. A lot of people are posting “31 for 21” this month, but I’m not ambitious enough to post every single day, so I’m not participating. But I am finding myself with a lot to say on the subject. Click on over to Real Zest to read my “aha” moment.

Related Articles

• Is It Harder to Have a Child with Down Syndrome? (parenting.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Deciding Not to Screen for Down Syndrome (parenting.blogs.nytimes.com)