“I Just Want to Be His Mama”

The thing about the thread that binds parents of children with Down syndrome is that, like all thread, it can sometimes seem invisible.  There are moments in time when parenting our children can sometimes feel lonely.  This doesn’t mean that we don’t have amazing support systems from our family and friends but there are days when you just want to look around and see the face of someone else who truly understands.  These are the times when we need the thread to shine brightly, to remind us that we’re not alone.
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There is an amazing mamma, Jamie Freeman, from Dearborn Michigan, who saw that need and decided to do something about it.  She wanted something tangible, something that you could physically hold close to you, to act as a reminder that we’re all connected through our similarities, regardless of where we are in the world or what our journey’s have been.  From that, The Down Syndrome Diary began.  A book, a handwritten journal, that passes between families all over the world and gives them a place to tell their story; a book that will hopefully be published and can act as the thread for other parents when they need to know that they’re not alone, that despite time and distance and family make-up, we are “more alike than different”.
Jamie is, more importantly, the mamma to the ridiculously adorable Benny (try not to fall in love with his gorgeous blonde locks!).  While they had a pre-natal diagnosis of Down Syndrome, no one can really be prepared for the onslaught of “help” that our children are bombarded with right from the start.  I remember feeling incredibly overwhelmed talking to Lily’s foster mother and getting the list of therapists and supports that were now part of our daily life – it just seemed like so many people that we now had to juggle on top of just bonding with our sweetest family member.  Jamie has been kind enough to share how, in the end nothing takes the place of a mamma.
I Just Wanna Be His Mama