[blparent] Question about parenting with blind children

[Veronica Smith]

I  dust and vacuum and when my friends ask me how, I reply, with a vacuum
cleaner and a dust cloth.  I might not do the job they would, but it is good
enough for me.

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Barbara Hammel
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2011 3:46 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] Question about parenting with blind children

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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