Parenting Habits

There are many times when I feel I have failed Ethan, by the habit of parenting hearing children. I forget he is deaf. When is wearing his CI's he is part of everything. He knows how to assert himself if he is not understanding something, and he is a leader by nature which typically keeps him on top of things.

Every so often he looks into my eyes with such confusion and hurt and it dawns on me that I forgot in that moment that he is deaf. I have a habit of moving kids from one area of the house to the next, along with me. Although Ethan is very efficient with his CI's there are many times if I don't have his attention that he is not tuned in. He may be in deep creative thought building with Lego's or playing with his toys and even though he has an implant he still has the ability to tune out. Selective hearing can happen even with deaf kids.

This morning he had this look of your forgot about me. Okay he didn't just have that look he said it and he was right. I expected that he could follow us into the next event and he didn't. Which in my habit of parenting is no big deal, but it's a big deal to Ethan. I forget that he is limited in distance with his CI's. He can hear me easily from his bedroom upstairs, but if the door is halfway closed he can't hear me calling from downstairs.

I know I will not get it every single time, but the times that I don't it is typically related to how I parent hearing children and expect Ethan to seamlessly pass through with what is going on. It's a habit with having four hearing kids.

These thoughts area all kind of jumbled, but it made me sad to think of how it must feel for Ethan. Working on those habits of rambling with the expectation that everyone has their ears on.

Gaining Confidence

I have read that horses are very theraputic for children with handicaps. Working with them, learning to be safe with them, and riding them build confidence in a child. Emily, Ethan's only sister and older sister grew up with two horses. It grew her in ways that I never imagined and she is a hearing child.

What they say is true. Earlier this spring we went for a walk in the country. Emily walks this route regularly with a friend and with the weather nice we decided to make an afternoon of it with the boys. Ethan shys away from a strange dog, and will not get close. This is a good thing, but I am concerned that he should learn how to at least be safe, so if he were to meet a strange dog unexpected he would know what to do. A horse well forget it. He would not get anywhere near the fence.

Bless Emily's tender heart. She took him alongside and worked with him, to build his confidence in approaching a horse. She talked about how horses show us with thier face, their ears, and the sounds they make what they may be thinking or feeling. By watching and listening we know how to approach a horse. After about a half an hour he came in closer. I knew this was a mommy time to step away and not interfere. As I observed I realized what an incredible challenge this was for Ethan, and how Emily gently talked him closer, each step taking many minutes to take.

After about an hour, Ethan was able to come in close and even feed the horse. He is so proud of himself to have overcome a very healthy fear of this large animal. I am so proud of him. He talks about this moment often, and we have since been back to visit the horses.

Confidence building for our children who are deaf does not always have to come in a word articulated correctly, or perfectly reading a book. All important milestones, but in many other ways too. This was one way. I am going to blow up these pictures and have framed for Ethan's room.

Loopy Ears

When Ethan lost his second ear mold I realized that I had to come up with something to keep his CI devices on. With special tapes stuck to his head day in and out, and the irritation to his skin I again realized there must be something that can keep these things on. After much thought I came up with the Loopy Ear Attachment. No more ear molds, no more sticky tapes. These small elastic bands will attach to your child allowing them to move, tumble, and wrestle and still keep their CI devices in place. The benefit of having a soft fabric around your child's ear will be much more comfortable for them. So many have issues with fungus in the ears, and this too will no longer be a problem to worry about. The Loopy Ear Attachment stays on, even when changing out a battery. It never has to come off, unless you want to wash it, which you can do too. I am currently working on color treatments to offer some fun colors to mix and match with. Stay posted.

If you would like to special order Loopy Ear Attachments simple do the following:

Measure with a string around your child's ear and then measure up against a ruler. Then measure the space around the CI device with a string and then measure that against a ruler. This gives the most accurate measurement. I am charging $12.00 per set. This price will include having the Loopy Ear Attachments mailed directly to you.

Here is my email address to send me your information. ejoonthego@aol.com

Once I have your information, I will email my address in which you may mail a check too.

Please allow about 4-12 days for delivery. If you have any questions you may also email me.