Class on Monday 1-10

"Welcome to Holland" does a great job and portraying what parents of children with disabilities must be going through when they first find out. The imagery of planning for a trip and finding out that you have ended up somewhere different is one that people can relate with. Many people know the feeling of anticipation and then being let down. It also does a great job at explaining how parents are constantly reminded of the fact that their children are different, as other parents discuss their children. My cousin, Allie, who has disabilities was born just one day before another cousin of ours who does not have any disabilities; in fact she excels at almost everything. When listening to “Welcome to Holland” I could only imagine my aunt’s voice as she is constantly seeing what stages in life Allie should be going through as the other cousin goes through them. It must be difficult to be reminded of this often and still be able to appreciate all of the gains that Allie has made. The line in the poem: “But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland,” is one that I can see in my Aunt and many people who have children with special needs because while the pain is always around you can’t spend your life fixating on it.