Even though Father’s Day was only a few days ago, we would like to keep the love going for dear, old Dad. We came across a blog written by J. Parrish Lewis, who is Deaf and also an adoptive dad to three children, who are hearing. He reveals that each of his three children have blurted out, “My Daddy is Death,” and how he has had to help his children differentiate between the Deaf and Death even though though they sound amusingly similar. He also does a great job sharing the fears of not being chosen for foster care placement because he is deaf.
“I always felt some fear, in the beginning of each adoption journey, that their foster care caseworkers would decide my being deaf was a reason to not place these children with us. I worried they would think I was incapable of parenting effectively. This fear comes easily after a lifetime of being perceived in ways that did not truly match who I am. Deaf parents are fully able to be good parents. We can be excellent as well, or terrible, just like someone with normal hearing can be. We are all different.”
We are inspired by the love this man feels for his children and his efforts to teach them sign language. You can read his account HERE.
Happy Father’s Day to all the great dads out there! We applaud you.
DeafKan 