Stressful Periods for Family
Do you recall any stress in your family during adolescence, making decisions about educational choices or transitioning to adulthood? How do you think this is different for families who have children who are deaf or hard of hearing?
My parents often feared I would get behind in class because I was shy to ask a teacher to repeat themselves. They knew if I could hear, I could understand. However, hearing was often difficult, particularly in classes where the teacher would move around often, to places behind me where I could neither hear nor lip read. My parents fought with the notion of taking me out of public school, because the nearest school for the Deaf and Hard of hearing was over 3 hours away. They often had to argue with me because I didn't want to be called out by other children on how class had to be taught differently because I was in it. I think their biggest concerns for me was to make sure I wasn't getting left behind, but also not getting called out in a way that may make others believe I was less intelligent than I actually am.
ReplyDeleteAdolescence is a stressful time for everyone (hearing or deaf). I had a hard time feeling accepted as a 12-13 year old. I had no self-esteem and was constantly worried of what others thought of me. For an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing (especially for girls I think) during adolescence, that feeling of acceptance could be even more challenging because of a lack of communication between them and their peers.
ReplyDeleteAdolescence is a stressful time for everyone (hearing or deaf). I had a hard time feeling accepted as a 12-13 year old. I had no self-esteem and was constantly worried of what others thought of me. For an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing (especially for girls I think) during adolescence, that feeling of acceptance could be even more challenging because of a lack of communication between them and their peers.
ReplyDeleteI think that transitioning to adulthood was one of the most stressful times for me because I was going away to college, which I was nervous for, and I was used to hanging out with my sister almost all the time. It was a major change for me and my family. Even though I wasn't too far away it was still a hard time. I had one roommate that I lived with rather than my mom, dad, brother, and sister, and even though we had been friends since high school it just wasn't the same. I think that for families with deaf or hard of hearing children the worries are just different. If I were deaf my mom would have worried about making sure I understood what was going on in class and being able to keep up rather than worrying about me paying attention and making good grades.
ReplyDeleteI think that transitioning to adulthood was one of the most stressful times for me because I was going away to college, which I was nervous for, and I was used to hanging out with my sister almost all the time. It was a major change for me and my family. Even though I wasn't too far away it was still a hard time. I had one roommate that I lived with rather than my mom, dad, brother, and sister, and even though we had been friends since high school it just wasn't the same. I think that for families with deaf or hard of hearing children the worries are just different. If I were deaf my mom would have worried about making sure I understood what was going on in class and being able to keep up rather than worrying about me paying attention and making good grades.
ReplyDeleteI know for me, growing up wasn't always easy. I don't share a lot of the same views as my family and that was hard for them to accept. I wanted to be able to stretch my wings and explore the world, but was held back by my parents. I know why they took the actions they did and I don't mean to speak ill of them. But it was a real struggle for me to be able to go to college away from home and then to move to a different state was war within itself. I had to fight hard to show what I wanted and that I would be determined to do anything I had to to achieve my goals.
ReplyDeleteUnless the family used a total communication method in their household, I can only imagine how frustrating for the child and the parents a situation like that could be. I know how hard I had to work to say the right things at the right time to get my point across to my parents. In a household that has broken communication would only be worse. The child wouldn't be able to express themselves at a level of understand for their parents.
It is stressful transitioning in the teen years. While the child is grown, and are trying to make decisions for themselves, sometimes the parents do not want to let go. A child needs to experience things for himself. He will go into life knowing that mom and dad have taught him all they could. Parents have to understand that the child has to experience for himself to have a greater appreciation for how the world is. Parents of deaf or hard of hearing children may want to be even more protective. If this is the case, the child will feel smothered and may even rebel.
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ReplyDeleteI think the transition into adulthood is hard for everyone, the young adult as well as the parent hearing, hard of hearing, and deaf. I know my grandparents still worry about me being out on my own and want me to come home constantly and worry if I don't answer a call or text immediately. I could see how it'd be more difficult for the transition in adulthood for parents of a deaf child, afraid they won't fit in, won't hear passing cars as they cross the cross walk, worried about others communication with them, worried about someone walking up on them. It could be a very stressfull time for parents in general but parents of the deaf seem to have more to worry about.
ReplyDeleteI think the transition into adulthood is hard for everyone, the young adult as well as the parent hearing, hard of hearing, and deaf. I know my grandparents still worry about me being out on my own and want me to come home constantly and worry if I don't answer a call or text immediately. I could see how it'd be more difficult for the transition in adulthood for parents of a deaf child, afraid they won't fit in, won't hear passing cars as they cross the cross walk, worried about others communication with them, worried about someone walking up on them. It could be a very stressfull time for parents in general but parents of the deaf seem to have more to worry about.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was young, my parents did not sign or allow me to get hearing aids at the time of diagnosis, so communication was very difficult. I am an only child, so the only people I struggled to communicate with were my parents. I felt as if they didn't understand or respect me and my needs and that caused a lot of tension between us. Eventually, they gave in an understood my need for assistance, but it was a hard fought battle. We belonged to two different cultures and that has always been difficult.
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