Expectations

This post is from Linc's grandpa, Larry.

I remember those first days in the NICU. As Sam and I got into the elevator at the hospital, he shared with me that he guessed he would just have to lower his expectations for his new son, Lincoln. I had to laugh as I told him that with 5 children, Mary and I had done that 5 times and none of them had Down Syndrome.

It is funny that we have expectations at all, but I want to share how Lincoln showed me not to expect anything of him at any time. He will give it to me when he is ready. We took Barry and Sam’s families to Sea World last year. We knew the other children would love it, but were curious how Lincoln would react.

The first show was Shamu, the killer whale. Liz and I very intelligently sat right outside the “splash zone” with Linc while everyone one else sat and waited to be drenched. I am so glad I did. This is what I got to experience. As the whales soared out of the water, Lincoln would try to soar out of his mother’s arms. He cheered, clapped and talked to the whales. It was so unexpected, that Liz actually cried. I couldn’t stop laughing and smiling.

We went through the park and watched as he laid out on the shelf just like the other children to feed the dolphins and he laughed as Sam helped him pet their noses. He even sat in the giant aquarium and was mesmerized by the floor to ceiling display of swirling fish.

But, the highlight of his unexpected reaction to Sea World came at the end of the evening when we stopped by to see Shamu’s final performance for the night.  We arrived late and had to stand at the back of a very large crowd.  We hoisted the children onto shoulders and I got Lincoln.  As Shamu appeared, Lincoln’s reaction was full of sheer delight and  excitement to see his friend again.  He bounced on my shoulders, pounded on my head, threw his arms up as he loudly sang with Shamu and then he would twist my ears in excitement.  It was like having a bucking bronco on my shoulders.  I could hardly hold him on.  The most endearing part of this experience came when I turned my head to get Liz to watch and Lincoln reached down, put his hands on both sides of my face and turned my attention back to his new best friend, Shamu.  

Not only has Lincoln met the expectation we would have for any child, he has exceeded anything we thought he could do for a child with Down syndrome.  That is because of his wonderful parents whose expectations are for him to know the world and to know how to react to it.  We see it every time we are with him.