What my Down syndrome son has taught me

I have to admit that, despite the fact that I was aware that my baby might have Down syndrome, it was still a surprise for me when he was born with it. I had refused the amniocentesis tests because I knew that there could be a potential risk for the unborn child (if he happened to move at the wrong moment and get hit by the needle, for example) and I generally live by a "better safe than sorry" attitude.

Being a mother of nine children (ages 25 through 2) already taught me that facing reality is necessary for day-to-day survival, so it didn't cross my mind to be "in denial" about the possibility of having a "retarded" child. One can also probably figure that, having that many children I must be some sort of a traditional Catholic, which would lead one to also deduce that I would believe that God not only has a Plan, but that He will provide what is needed – temporal, emotional and spiritual. All this is true.