Jan 14 2009
Jake Blog II
I wrote yesterday about the Grys family; how their little boy was born with osteogenesis imperfecta and dwarfism. On Extreme Makeover Home Edition, the family was very excited because Jake could suddenly do all these things he could never do before, like take a shower, use a bathroom, wash his own hands, and sleep by himself. He could even get to his older brothers’ bedrooms in the basement.
Now, I’m sure that’s exciting just like my mom was happy for me when I got my first power chair but that excitement wears off when you realize you suddenly can’t control every motion your child makes anymore. My mother lost me in the mall. What are you expecting? I was 11 and free to move around myself for the first time ever. After she found me, we had a long talk about not just going somewhere without telling anyone even though I could.
I wonder if Jake is having the same experience. I wonder if his older brothers are annoyed that he can just come down and bother them whenever he wants to now. As they say, you never gain anything without losing something. With mobility equipment this is also the case. Granted, having someone you love be able to move themselves around and be more independent is of course the more important thing, but giving someone that freedom with no understanding of boundaries (such as “You can’t just show up in my room.” or “You can’t just run around the mall without telling me where you’re going!”) can get annoying at times I’m sure.
