You Think You See, But You Have No Idea

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Jasper, Alabama, United States

Sunday, January 3, 2010

"All I think about is ears." How true.

I've been doing some catching up on a new blog I've been following Big Teeth & Clouds. I came across a sentence in one of her blogs that I think describes what it's like to be the mother of a hearing impaired child. All I think about is ears. Every thing is ears. Can he hear that, does he know whats going on, is he going to get hurt doing things that require hearing, is he being teased, are his hearing aids working, is his language still advancing at an age appropriate rate, does he really understand, he should be hearing that why isn't he hearing that?...the questions go on and on.
Now White Cloud and myself, our children are still young, one might think that as our children get older they would take over that responsibility of thinking about their ears and we could relax. I don't think so. Take my mom for example, she still thinks about my ears. She knows my hearing, or lack there of, better than anyone, probably better than I do. To this day, if I'm not hearing the way she thinks I should be, my mom will s
till ask me, "Are your hearing aids working, or are you just tired?". I'm 32 years old. I've had my aids for 30 years as of last month. My mom still thinks ears. I don't worry about what I hear. I just hear it or I don't. I get aggravated about it, but I don't WORRY about it.
Our children are lucky to have us. I'm lucky to have my mom. We are probably the only people on earth who will, after 30 years, still care if our children are hearing well. That's a special bond that I can only share with my mom. She worries about my ears, even at 32. Why? It's simple really. All she ever thought about was ears.

7 comments:

SpeakUp Librarian said...

Interesting perspective, AmyKay. I hadn't thought about that before.

Joey Lynn Resciniti said...

Wow, I hadn't thought it through that I'll still be thinking about her ears even when I'm "retired" from a lot of the other worrying. But I suppose there is no end to the worry, that's what it is to be a mom.

I'm still currently worried about an ear infection. Stop coughing already Julia!

Amy Kay said...

Yeah Sarah,, I do have an interesting view being a 2nd generation hoh. My mom has given me so much insight. I'm amazed at all she understands. :)

Amy Kay said...

Ugg on the ear infection. Hope it clears up soon!

Holly said...

Such a true statement. My son fell off the couch when his dad was left home with him. I walked in the house, saw the small red spot on his head, and then said "where are his hearing aids?" My husband was floored. I could see he was fine, I just don't understand why he still did not have his hearing aids on. It's all about the ears. The small knot on his head will heal in a day or two.

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Diane said...

I agree with every word of this post, however my mum died six years ago and I still miss her. She really was the only person who understood my hearing loss as well as I do. As a child she would sometimes embarrass me by telling me to wear my hearing aids, but I now know that it was because she loved me. She also stood up against teachers who didn't provide me with the right accommodations. Two years ago I graduated university with an Honours Degree, but my mum was not there to see it happen. Looking back it probably would not have been possible without her.