[blparent] Question about parenting with blind children

[Barbara Hammel]

You are correct that too many children are told not to touch because 
grown-ups don't want to take time to teach care.
I, as a young blind child, was not allowed to touch things.  If my sighted 
siblings couldn't, than neither could I.  I didn't do dishes for a long time 
after the age my sisters started and then I only was allowed to dry the 
nonbreakable things.
I did hget to help decorate the tree but I was just the ornament 
hander-outer and the one who put the hooks on them.  My only chore--besides 
cleaning my room and putting my toys away--was to dust.  To this day, I hate 
dusting and don't like vacuuming because I never think it's good enough.
To many of our parents' credit, they did the best they could with the 
limited knowledge and resources they had.
Barbara




Let every nation know whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay 
any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose 
any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.--John 
F. Kennedy
-----Original Message----- 
From: Bridgit Pollpeter
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2011 12:55 PM
To: blparent at nfbnet.org
Subject: [blparent] Question about parenting with blind children

Hello,

It's been a while, but have been so busy. Hope everyone is having a
wonderful holiday season.

So, while decorating the Christmas tree this year with Pen, everyone
kept saying, "Don't touch, just look with your eyes." This seems like
reasonable, sound advice, but then it hit me, a blind child can't look
with their eyes. I've only been blind as an adult so it never crossed my
mind that small things like this would be different with a blind child.

Since this epiphany struck (ha-ha) I've been aware of how often children
are told to not touch, just look. It happened frequently this season
with Pen again as we were shopping with my mom and sister. I know this
list is geared towards blind parents, nonetheless, I know many of you
were blind children, and I'm sure most of you have answers.

How do you allow a child who can't see to experience something like
decorating a tree in a tactile way, but at the same time, steer them to
an understanding that this isn't a toy to be touched and played with all
the time? I'm especially curious about young children who are blind.

Then, as usual, my thoughts went further to include that I think we can
stifle healthy curiosity in any child, blind or sighted, but limiting
what sense they use to experience life. I'm not suggesting we let kids
touch every little thing, but is it really that bad to allow a child to
"touch" say something like Christmas decorations even if they can see
them? Rhetorical question, but have any of you incorporated nonvisual
parenting into a, for lack of a better expression, more traditional
parenting style, A. K. A. sighted parenting. *I'm simply using these
terms to distinguish between things.

Anyway, perhaps I'm not being clear, but I'm just curious about this,
and it may be something I can use for my Live Well blog. I'd appreciate
any responses.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/

"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan


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