probably one of the things that worried me most when we received wyatt's diagnosis of Down syndrome was the misconception that he would never get married. one of the first things his pediatrician (who has thankfully retired!) told us was that "they are all really sweet children....he'll do little things you'll be so proud of.....and he'll always be with you...." um, not really what a parent of a newborn wants to hear, is it? as much as we love our children, we know that they are eventually supposed to live independent, fulfilling lives, right?
i was so excited the very first time that i heard about a couple with Ds who were married. i stumbled across the story of josh and bernadette, who were the first couple with Ds in tennessee to be married. i was thrilled! and as i read and watched their video, i was so encouraged! i love what josh said, ""Our responsibility is, grow up. Be a young man and young lady. We together. It's nice together. Sometimes it's good and bad. We work it out." they have been lifelong friends, since they were preschoolers, and have been married almost 3 years now. and their last name is PUTMAN!!!! (our last name!)
because i love being married, i want everyone to be married! when i have single friends, i always try to think of a "love match" for them! i have always looked forward to our older boys being married, and pray frequently for the young women that God is preparing to be their wives! and i now know that although it has not traditionally been the "norm" for adults with Ds to get married, more and more it is happening, especially due to their longer life spans! just this past week the documentary "monica and david" premiered on hbo....a documentary about another young married couple with Ds! i think the publicity this is giving to the Ds community will only make marriages between adults with Ds more and more acceptable and expected!
and although i know that a young married couple with Ds needs lots of extra support from their families....we will be more than happy to give that support to wyatt and his bride....whomever she might be! he has "girlfriends" around the country....louisiana, oregon, new jersey, texas, and of course florida...to name a few! will he marry brennan, melody, grace, isla, annabella, or another precious girl we haven't even met yet? only God knows.....but i do know that it is a very real possibility for wyatt....and that makes me very happy.......peace!
Uh-oh. Some of the girls you mentioned I have on my radar for Eon! :)
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