GRAND Magazine - Spring 2024 - 9

Grandparenting a disabled child
I've been blessed to spend much time
with Lilly since she was a baby. These years
have been among the very best of my
life. Whoever said that having grandkids
is even more fun than having kids (words
I used to find offensive) was 100% correct.
And it's because we get to send her
home to her mom and dad. But despite
her antics - which are frequent, her sense
of humor that has us all in stitches, or her
infrequent bouts of unfortunate behavior
- which fortunately have significantly
lessened, I'm always ready to welcome
her back the very next day.
There are so many things that Lilly has
mastered that not all children with Down
syndrome do. She speaks clearly, thanks
to the speech pathologists who
work with her both at and outside
of school. She knows some
basic math and she reads quite
well. Her penmanship is better
than that of my husband and a
couple of our adult kids! She's
warm and conversational.
Lilly's favorite way to ride in my
car is to either read or write - and
then read what she writes. I steer
my car down the highway toward
our home after picking her up at
school and spell words that Lilly
gets stuck on so that she can go on
with her reading. Not a fan of story
books, she typically teaches me a
9 GRAND SPRING 2024
independently, but no one has told her
these things might not happen. She's been
told that she can accomplish great things
since she could understand. A new NDSS/
CoorDown campaign called " Assume I
Can, " further supports this longstanding
philosophy her parents put into action.
After picking Lilly up from her school bus
one afternoon recently, she told me something
that brought me close to tears.
" Guess who my favorite person in the
thing or two by reading facts about
wild animals, discussing countless Star
Wars characters, or trying in vain to
convince me that big hairy spiders
make great pets. Sorry, Lilly. They
don't! I wouldn't let your dad have
one, and you won't have one here at
Nana and Pa's house!
" ...for a few fleeting hours on a
Wednesday afternoon, I was Lilly's
favorite. "
Lilly recently turned 18.
Technically, she's an adult, as she
likes to inform everyone. She likely
won't drive a car or live 100%
whole world is? " she asked.
" Who? " I replied.
" It's you, Nana, " she answered.
By 5:00 that evening, she said her dad
was her favorite person in the whole world.
And that's ok. He deserves it, too. So does
her mom. But for a few fleeting hours on a
Wednesday afternoon, I was Lilly's favorite.
And all the joy she's brought throughout
these many years came rushing to the forefront of my
heart and mind. I'm Lilly's Nana. And I'm abundantly
blessed to say so.
Kimberly Ripley is technically a retired
writer and editor, but every now and
then accepts a freelance gig she just
can't pass up. A wife, mom of five and a
few extras, she is Nana to a growing list
of grandchildren - and they are at the
center of her life. You can find Kim in
New Hampshire with her family, shuttling
kids and hosting large family gatherings.
You may contact her at
kimberlyaripley@gmail.com.

https://www.facebook.com/GRANDmagazine https://ndss.org/news/ndss-partners-coordown-and-other-international-organizations-launch-assume-i-can#:~:text=March14%2C2023%2C(Rome,toputanendto https://ndss.org/news/ndss-partners-coordown-and-other-international-organizations-launch-assume-i-can#:~:text=March14%2C2023%2C(Rome,toputanendto

GRAND Magazine - Spring 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - Spring 2024