Jenna became a mother 18 years ago. Her first son, Daniel, was healthy and happy and reached milestones at normal times. He walked, talked and was just like any other baby. Just after he turned eighteen months old, everything changed. He lost the words he had learned and it seemed like the light had gone out in his eyes. He was soon diagnosed with autism. Since then, Jenna has taken on the role of the mother of a special needs child with acceptance and grace.
The website Autism speaks states that one in every 68 children and one in every 42 boys is diagnosed with autism. The rates are growing and there is no cure.
Daniel is now 18 years old and has three younger siblings. The family works together to care for Daniel in ways he can’t do for himself, but most of the work
…show more content…
I have been an observer at church, watching them all care for Daniel. His sixteen year-old brother, Jimmy holds his hand and guides him wherever he needs to go. This is Jenna’s legacy; a family who loves each other and helps each other, even if it means changing an adult diaper.
All mothers worry about their children, but Jenna has a little more to worry about with Daniel. She says his future is a black hole and thus, tries not to think about it. Will he ever be able to live on his own or in a group home? Will she be his caretaker until she is gone? Her future and his future are intertwined. Will she be able to serve a mission with her husband? Go on retirement trips? All unknown.
Through it all, she loves Daniel, just like she loves her other children. They are her friends. They give her purpose and direction. They love her unconditionally. In the book Neighborhood Watch, by Cammie McGovern, the author writes, “This is what we do, my mother’s life said. We find ourselves in the sacrifices we make.” Jenna has found herself through the sacrifices she has made for
Jenna’s accident makes her question whether she will have an actual family. In order to have your very own family, you have to be married. Jenna may not have that option, due to her new body. She has a relationship with Ethan, and they are in love with each other. So there is
Not only does this children's book emphasize how quick individuals are to judge without any previous knowledge, but it also incorporates an ideology that is frequently disregarded: being open minded. At first, Dyamonde simply establishes that the new boy, Reed, is a “rude boy.” Without even knowing Reed, she makes this assertion based on his behavior; however, this portrays close mindedness. Instead of merely judging an individual based upon a first impression or their unconscious behavior, it is crucial to assimilate more information about the person prior to putting a label on them. However, as the story progressed and Dyamonde became more open minded, she realized that Reed was solely distraught and upset by his big move from Detroit. In fact, she discovered that she and Reed had much in common, in terms of their loneliness. Both children lost their best friends in the process of their move. Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel enhances the importance of being mindful in all situations, despite any preconceived judgments.
The parents have played a very important role in Daniels life. They brought him up always showing him what's wrong and what's right, what choices to make, and who to trust. Being a parent means that you should always be in control of your children for as long as possible. Daniel was said to be the type that needed guidance even though he came across as a strong and independent. His mother knew this, but even she was scared of what he was capable of. When times got rough the parents backed off and let him make his own choices. That wasn’t the best move to make. The parents might have shown love and affection to Daniel but they truly couldn’t see what was going on. If only they had paid enough attention to Daniel maybe they could witness how badly he was coming off the rails. They could of helped him. Helped him to make the right choices.
Joel and Daniel differ greatly from each other. All of Joel’s family is still alive, unlike Daniel’s where most of his family has died. Daniel has a younger sister, Leah, who doesn’t leave the house due to a traumatic incident when she was young when she saw her father killed. She lives with her grandmother who soon dies in the middle of the novel . Daniel’s
• audience is privy to the private thoughts and feelings concerning all elements of his life the accident, his brother Daniel, Chrissy, himself and his future
since the year 2006 were 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with autism every year, autism is much
He is stunned by how The officer “casually raise his pistol’(36) and kills Aunt Leah. Daniel wonders how the officer could shoot Leah without showing emotion, casually as if he did this every day. Which he most likely did. Daniel is so impacted that he “doesn't even cry”, He knew that the Nazis didn't like Jews but how could this hatred justify for killing another human. And he wonders how his entire race is beginning to be wiped out, and few people even know. The significance of this of this event how daniel remembers Her. Even though she was strict she loved her children and made the ultimate sacrifice for them, but it was in vain. Daniel will remember her sacrifice and feel sorrow for all the people he has seen
In A Heartbreaking Work of a Staggering Genius part IV, readers like myself, get a look inside the battle of being Dave. We have seen him as caregiver, a brother, a boyfriend of sorts, and now a man who was chosen to be a father to his younger brother. Most parents battle with the idea of how to parent and typically have time to prepare on the type and style of parenting they would choose, Dave didn’t have the luxury of preparing for this moment. None of his friends, this far, are parents and so, he has no one to discuss the rights and wrongs, no absolute mentor in the world of parenting, one of the hardest and sometimes unrewarding roles a person can have.
Daniel’s Story the book Daniels story is about a fourteen year old boy that starts out on a train with his parents he doesn't know why he has to move but he has a album full of pictures. A lot of those pictures were from around eight years ago in the book when he was with his family celebrating his sixth birthday. His mother didn’t like to look back on those days because it made her feel very sad. Daniel had to keep all those pictures because they all mean so much to him he’s carried them all up and saved all the pictures from every exciting moment and every devastating moment and every birthday party he’s ever had with his parents and other family. He’s saved every picture all the way up until he was fourteen. Daniel also has a lot of other albums and bunches of pictures and some were of
As Pearl attempts to provide for her family Cody her eldest son notices the difference in treatment in comparison to Ezra who is her favorite. As they grow older Ezra being the favorite of the three kids did not sit well with Cody. During their trip after Cody fails at hitting a target Pearl encourages Ezra to try and do something his older brother Cody could not do saying, “‘Let Ezra try,’ Pearl called again. ‘Beck? Let Ezra try.’ Ezra was her favorite, her pet. The entire family knew it.” (49) Pearl gave Ezra an opportunity to better Cody and Cody being the black sheep of his family took offense to it. Cody is an older brother to
Psychologically, Olive has a strong sense of attachment to her family. Olive has formed a strong emotional bond with all members of her extended family, even her stepbrother. When Olive’s brother realizes he is color blind, she provides powerful consolation to him. There are four qualities of attachment that the Hoover family exhibits; they spend a significant amount of time together, they are aware of Olive’s needs, they are committed and responsive to Olive, and they are available to her (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman, 2010, p. 129). Olive’s parents encourage autonomous decisions, such as allowing her to
I. Daniel appeared to be dealing with the adolescent stage. Daniel seems to have developed his sense of self worth by mimicking his older brother. Daniels significant relationships, since his brothers incarceration has been derricks old friends (the skin head group). The scene in the principle's office shows that Daniel is trying to live up to what he believes are his older brother's ideals, which he believes are following in the foot steps of Nazis. Hate anyone that is not white and
the younger brother Danny is forced to write a paper about his brother 's influence on him. The
Daniel lives life with Bea and remains infatuated with learning about Julian’s life: meets Julian’s previous acquaintances
John and Blake both are young men who face the challenges of having a learning disability, but Blake seems to work very hard to achieve high grades while John is someone who gave up at an early age and is okay with failing his classes. Blake’s parents seemed to be somewhat understanding to the fact that their son faced different challenges from the