tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post5058650052512677112..comments2024-02-25T10:24:30.868-05:00Comments on Special needs disability parenting BLOOM: Friendless, forever?BLOOM - Parenting Kids With Disabilitieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06901482901008135659noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-40675975206441339592009-10-02T11:27:54.200-04:002009-10-02T11:27:54.200-04:00Hi Humbledmum! Thank you so much for visiting BLOO...Hi Humbledmum! Thank you so much for visiting BLOOM and sharing your thoughts on friendship! I see you are from Malaysia and enjoyed hearing about your son.<br /><br />Readers can find your post on friendship at: <br />http://humbledmum-myjourney.blogspot.com/2009/09/will-he-have-friends.html<br /><br />It is a really challenging topic -- I know sometimes I just don't want to think about it because it's too painful. But I do think it helps to work through how we feel and share with others.<br /><br />Best wishes to you and your son and look forward to hearing more about life in Malaysia. Cheers! LouiseBLOOM - Parenting Kids With Disabilitieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06901482901008135659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-43659297852774165272009-10-01T12:55:43.730-04:002009-10-01T12:55:43.730-04:00Reading this post & the post prior to this one...Reading this post & the post prior to this one really affected me. I worked through my thoughts by writing a related post (Will he have friends?) on my blog. And that in turn caused another mom of a CP child to cry. Thank you for being so honest & brave in writing about it. I guess it's something a lot of mums with special needs kids easily relate to but find it hard to deal with.humbledmumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11499036764019215921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-12833447569815239272009-09-28T10:35:44.783-04:002009-09-28T10:35:44.783-04:00Hi Jennifer -- Thanks for your message.
No, I use...Hi Jennifer -- Thanks for your message.<br /><br />No, I used the word befriend to mean someone who initiates a friendship. If the word has negative connotations, I wasn't aware of them. Cheers, LouiseBLOOM - Parenting Kids With Disabilitieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06901482901008135659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-19987415172530847612009-09-25T08:14:38.224-04:002009-09-25T08:14:38.224-04:00Jennifer here... I have a couple of thoughts:
Th...Jennifer here... I have a couple of thoughts:<br /><br />The word 'befriend' makes me cringe (does that mean 'feel sorry for?', or 'pity'?) and I would say that it doesn't nullify the connection but it certainly doesn't qualify as friendship. <br /><br />Might help also to put my article into context - I don't believe that Owen thinks he's missing out. If that were the case, I may indeed feel the heartache of his friendlessness. As things are now, I see that I am giving Owen as rich and full a life as possible, and that friendship for him (as I define it) is not part of the mix. He is surrounded by love and appreciation, and shares laughter and companionship with deeply caring, nurturing people. Because of his disabilities and lack of communication, his experience of relationships may never rise above those of a very young child - but it at least meets a basic human need to be seen and cared for.<br /><br />I like Elizabeth's comment - I do think it's very easy to project our fears and desires onto our kids (me included!!) - and I love this forum for the opportunities for reflection. Thanks Louise :)Jennifer Johannesenhttp://johannesen.ca/yesornonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-32279963229857918902009-09-23T21:32:23.690-04:002009-09-23T21:32:23.690-04:00Hi Elizabeth: I hope you do write a post -- I woul...Hi Elizabeth: I hope you do write a post -- I would just love to read it. For some reason I think of friendship as being like a human right that we are all entitled to.<br /><br />Please do write about this. I would love to hear about your experiences and insights! And I hope others write about it and comment here too! It's one of those unspoken topics. lkBLOOM - Parenting Kids With Disabilitieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06901482901008135659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-447392662850613354.post-22437158014946070742009-09-23T20:38:14.170-04:002009-09-23T20:38:14.170-04:00I've been thinking a lot about the post, too, ...I've been thinking a lot about the post, too, over the past week. And I'd say that I'm more on the side of heartbreak than acceptance regarding my daughter's social life (or lack thereof). I hate it. I'm not sure whether the sorrow is a matter of projection (my own) or whether Sophie, somewhere inside, is aware of it. I'm inspired to write a post, myself, about this and see what sorts of comments I get from the people who visit my blog.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03313726816776097840noreply@blogger.com