[blparent] Nikki's independence

[Eric Calhoun]

Jan, I agree with everything you said aere.  I want you to also know,
Nikki, that there is a maturation process everyone goes through.  As an
uncle of an autistic child, I cannot coddle him, either.  But my sister
coddles him; he does not go to camp; he is habitually truant from school. 
I have responsibilities as a 37-year-old: I go to Braille Institute to
learn, too.

So your parents need to understand that you can fly.  I don't spend time
with my nephew that much, but when I do, I witness him tearing up things. 
I even worry about how he will act at Family Camp at the Junior Blind of
America, Camp Bloomfield, next year.  He has no kids to play with, and no
friends.  But I pray that this situation for my sister improves.

And the same for you, Nikki. 

I would like for you to pick up a braille book, called Tough Tiffany, by
Belinda Hurmence.  You'll learn about Tiffany, an 11-year-old, helping her
sister, Dawn, bring a baby into the world.  What's the lesson here? 
Everybody needs independence, Nikki.  What does that have to do with your
independence from Mom and Dad?  This helps you stand on your own two feet,
when Mom and Dad aren't around.  You can find Tough Tiffany at your local
NLS/BPH library.

Also, check out the Summer, 2011, issue of Future Reflections, for an
article from Jennifer Dunnam, President, Mational Federation of the Blind
of Minnesota.  It's called Lunch and the Chorus Room.

But don't stop there.  Keep reading the magazine, and educate yourself. 
Ten years from now, you'll mature, and so will your son.  All because
friendly blind people supported you, and gave a dang, and you gave a dang.

Eric
.. ..  Eric from Los Angeles with the baseball list: eric at pmpmail.com. 
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