Monthly Archives: February 2016

Q32: Life With Charley – Acknowledgements

If you were to write a page or two of thank-you’s to people who have impacted your life and the life of your child, who would it include?

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Q31: Life With Charley

People who have Down syndrome seem to have an unlimited capacity for empathy. Funny thing is, when we began this odyssey called Charley, all Brad and I wanted was to be there for him. We never expected him to be

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Q30: Life With Charley – Jump In

Sometimes our kids want to do things that we’re not too sure about. Somewhere between struggling with my sunglasses and looking around to make sure I hadn’t dropped anything, I glanced up to see Charley standing in the line leading

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Q29: Life With Charley – TrisomyCharley

Sherry reminisces about the changes that have occurred in the world since Charley was born. There have been some changes over the past several years that have made life better. Mainstreaming, for one. Inclusion is a morale booster for people

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Q28: Life With Charley – Unless You’ve Made Other Plans

One of the scariest things for parents of people who have Down syndrome, or any intellectual / developmental disability, is worrying about what will happen to our child if something happens to us. Sherry came face to face with this

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Q27: Life With Charley – Everyone’s Arena

While it’s important not to reduce people with disabilities to objects of inspiration, Sherry admits that someone she doesn’t really know taught her an important life lesson. It may sound odd, but that one event taught me more than the

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Q26: Life With Charley – I Re-Wed

When Charley decides that his parents aren’t really married because he didn’t see it, a renewal of vows seems the obvious solution.  But there, in the middle of the ceremony, Charley didn’t want to be seen. This brings me to

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Q25: Life With Charley – A Tale of Two Kitties

Sherry talks about deceiving Charley. There are truths. The first truth is that when dealing with a child like Charley, there’s going to be some lying going on. With his inhibited ability to reason, there’s only so much you can

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Q24: Life With Charley – Da Weal Santa

Some people call it learned helplessness – asking for help with things they are completely capable of doing.  Some adults who have Down syndrome have learned to manipulate the unsuspecting. One of the girls in the church, Alyx, comes over

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Q23: Life With Charley – Going Green

One of the great things about Charley is his ability, even as an adult, to play like a kid. Sometimes I forget he’s an adult. This person who is part man, part boy. This person who sports a beard and

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