Learning about special needs

We took the twins out to a Mexican Restaurant tonight.
They act better in public than they do at home with us, which is a good thing,  
so I thought this would work.
Well it did, but what I hadn't planned on was Téa's complete obsession
with a lady who works there who has only one arm.
Téa talked about it all through dinner. She wanted to know what happened to her arm.
Why does she only have one arm? Did it fall off?
Could her arm fall off? Will her brother's arm fall off?

It was all different to her and she wanted to know!
Dennis and I both tried to quietly explain things to her while sitting in that restaurant.
But she is 3 years old. What do 3 year olds do when they learn something new?
They want to talk about it continually. And she did.

She also talked about it in the car on the ride home. Of course she did.

Then I remembered a blog I read written by a mom who has a toddler
with no hands and very short arms.
I showed her and Jonas the videos of this very precious child.
Téa wanted to learn more and more, so once we were home I let her talk about it all.
(Not that I could stop her in the restaurant, but I tried.)

I think Téa fell in love with little Lamp. She especially loved this video:



After the twins have gone to bed I noticed Lamp's Mom posted another video of her this week.
I can't wait to show it to them in the morning. They will love it for sure!


What an inspiration little Lamp is to all of us!


The twins will be so excited to see Mommy and Daddy!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember going through this with each of my kids. They seem to be particularly fascinated with differences at that age. Have you seen the video about the motivational speaker with no arms and no legs? (It can be found on the Internet). He sits in front of rooms full of people, mainly school kids, and talks about how they can reach their potentials and should never give up. Very moving.
darlene

Karen Mortensen said...

That was so awesome. I was like Tea when I was younger. Still am I guess. I really love people with special needs. They fill my heart with joy.

Becky Jane said...

Being in a wheelchair, I get lots of questions from kids. I love to see their sincere curiosity and desire to know why I can't walk even though I have 2 legs. One thing I love dearly is when I'm shopping, little kids will come up behind me and start pushing my wheelchair...wheels are such fun things for kids!

You are a great grandma to help the twins understand. Happy weekend!

grandmapeg said...

I think it is so important to let little children "talk things out" when they are trying to understand certain things and people, but especially those that have special needs. I had forgotten about when you posted about Lamp. What a cutie she is and a determined one. I looked at the clip where she is stacking blocks. Wow!! Thanks for the great post!

Lisa said...

Oh am I glad you posted this lady's blog! I could not for the life of me remember the location. Did you know the Bishop I had before moving to Clovis married a beautiful woman who has Lamp's condition & they had 2 children (both sealed to eternal companions) with the same condition? They are amazing & wonderful people who lead perfectly wonderful lives dedicated to the Lord. I love that Tea is so curious & able to discuss what's on her mind!

Susan Anderson said...

It's amazing what a child can overcome when surrounded by love.

=)

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