[blindkid] Preserving memories

[Steve Jacobson]

Hi Jennifer,

First, I grew up in a time when there were no easy ways to make videos or recordings and my parents would describe 
pictures that were taken.  It wasn't something I gave a gread deal of thought to as I grew up, so please understand 
that whatever you do will be a plus.  Still, your idea of videos with sound is a good one, not just to talk about the day's 
events but also to capture some of the real sounds of the day as well.  Also, small audio recorders have become so 
inexpensive, that it might provide another option in some situations.  As time passes, you will become more aware of 
what kinds of things capture his interest.  He may be a child who loves touching objects that trigger memories, or it is 
possible they won't mean that much to him, he may lean more toward the actual sounds.  It could even happen that 
he won't care about the memories as much as you think he should.  

I have some old recording of such things as old music recitals and concerts in which I participated, and they are 
important to me.  I am also glad that I have some recordings of persons who were important in my life but who have 
passed away.  

Mostly, it is my belief that you will do well just by thinking about it.  There is so much to raising a child, though, blind or 
not, that you aren't going to do a perfect job with this and you just can't get too concerned about the fact that you may 
miss a memory now and then.  As blind kids, it is also important for us to learn that there are going to be certain kinds 
of things that may not mean a lot to us such as reviewing picture albums.  Still, there are a lot of ways of making 
memories real, and it sounds to me as though you have given it some good thought already.  

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

On Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:20:10 -0800 (PST), Jennifer Weisner wrote:

>Hi everyone, this is my first time posting to this listserv, but I have been reading it since our son Hudson was born in 
July of this year. Hudson's eyes did not develop correctly in utero which caused his blindness. It has definitely been a 
roller coaster of emotions since his birth, but we have found acceptance and are enjoying our sweet funny boy. We 
have services in place for him, and he seems to be thriving. 
>In looking back over our pictures from Christmas today, it struck me that Hudson won't be able to see them (I'm still 
getting used to how things like that just catch me by surprise). We did record a few videos, but I didn't think about 
doing something specifically for him so he can listen to it later. I have always made photo albums for our older 
daughter, and she loves to look back at them and talk about past events. I would love to hear your ideas about how I 
can preserve memories for Hudson. Maybe videos where we talk about the events of the day? Or some sort of box 
with tactile items related to the special occasion? I'm sure you all are a wealth of knowledge, so please share it with 
me and help ease my "mommy guilt"! Thanks so much!

>Jennifer Weisner
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