[blparent] Question about parenting with blind children

[Veronica Smith]

I could see when I was little, but as I got older, couldn't see many things.
I always put the ornaments on the tree as do I now.  I am gentle with them
and I have always had Gab and her friends help.  She knows and always has,
the tree is not a toy, it is to be looked upon not touched or played with.
I have friends that have blind children and they teach the same, yu can
touch gently as that is there way of looking, but playing with the ornaments
is off limits.
We always used to laugh at me, I would put the picture frames back on the
shelves after Christmas and they would be on their sides but no one made me
feel bad about it, they would just straighten them and tell me about it much
later.

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Sheila Leigland
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2011 12:28 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] Question about parenting with blind children

Hi, I have always been blind and so touch is extremely important to me. My
mom always let me help decorate the tree. If she thought that the
decorations weren't straight she would straighten them out later. Often i
got to feel the ornaments before they were placed on the tree especially the
glass ones. I remember that we got to put ornaments up as far as we could
reach. For a totally blind child colors are hard so shapes and textures are
important. I use to touch the tree even after it was decorated. Touching
doesn't necessarily mean playing with. We even got to help putting tinsel on
the tree Going to store use to be boring to me if I COULDN'T TOUCH THING AND
ABOUT THE ONLY THINGS THAT MOM WOULDN'T LET ME TOUCH WAS GLASS ON SHELVES
THAT COULD ACCIDENTALLY BE KNOCKED OFF. I LOVE THE DIFFERENT FEEL OF FABRICS
AND WE HAVE A SIGHTED CHILD THAT KNEW WE TOUCHED EVERYTHING.

Sheila Leiglan	d

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