Today, I want to talk about time. When it comes to having a child with Down syndrome, a lot of people are concerned about the time it will take to look after them, and they worry that they’re other children will miss out. I’ll be honest, there have been times when I have been worried about that too, but over the past couple of weeks, it’s been really obvious that none of our kids are missing out. There’s been a few things happening that’s really made this stand out to me and made me realise that I still have plenty of time to ensure all of my kids are getting the attention and care they require from us as parents.

We recently had a bit of a medical scare with Hope’s twin brother, Alexander. There’s no need to go into detail about it, but for a while, we were extremely worried that something serious was wrong. What this meant was taking time out to get some blood tests and monitor him a little closer. Did having Hope make this difficult? Not at all. Did Alexander’s needs get pushed aside? Not a single bit. We had all the time we needed to ensure he was healthy. On the other hand, did having this extra worry cause us to drop the ball with Hope and her therapies? No. Everyone got where they needed to be, when they needed to be there. Life continued and sure, there was worry, but everything was managed.

Lincoln, Hope’s older brother, started school this year. And this past couple of weeks, we’ve had to take some extra time out to go to some extra things at the school Not only that, but having Lincoln in school obviously means that we need to spend time with him talking about his school day, reading his home readers with him and making sure we encourage his continued learning at home. We had a parent teacher interview the other day and we were told Lincoln is doing extremely well. His reading level is among the highest in the class and he is showing such great understanding in all areas of his schooling. Having a sister like Hope has not affected his learning at all, it hasn’t slowed him down and it hasn’t meant that we haven’t had time for him and his education.

While having a child with Down syndrome can come with some difficulties and extra appointments, it doesn’t mean the other children suffer. I actually think it makes them better. They are learning to understand that not everyone is the same and learn at different paces. They are learning patience and understanding. They are learning more about love and showing love in different ways. I believe growing up with Hope will help them to be better individuals.