Downs With Ups

I know I said I’d write next about another serious topic, but I thought I’d share with you a lighter story for the time being…

…I was very proud of Poppet the other night.  In a potentially boring situation for a little person, she proved to be delightful company.  She was engaging and well-mannered.  (I’m a bit anal about children and manners.  My view is, she may have Down syndrome, but she will have the best manners.  I see that these will help her get through life and… just because it’s right.)

Each of us grown-ups had something on last Friday night and our regular babysitters were all busy.  Poppet ended up accompanying me that evening, to a monthly get-together I have with several other writers.  Knowing that it would be a few hours where she’d need to be entertained, we packed supplies, along with two of her favourite toys: ‘Jessie’, (“the Rootenest, Tootenest Cowgirl Around”) and ‘Bullseye’, both characters from the movie, Toy Story 2.  Although we were having dinner there, we packed a small packet of Twisties and a tube of yoghurt as treats to eat afterwards.  To keep her entertained, we included her DVD player with two DVDs: Toy Story 2 and Chicken Run.

Poppet sometimes lives through movies.  She watches a film many times over, (and I’m talking about 30 times at least), until she, (and I), have each character’s lines and actions down pat.  She is always blurting out lines from a movie and to an unsuspecting person this can be quite disconcerting.  I’m usually required to interpret her actions for people who may not know the quote.

“What the hell do you think this is?” she asked of no one in particular, as we walked through the shops one day.  “Get the hell out of here.”

“Please use ‘heck’ instead of ‘hell’, Poppet,” I say, wondering how Danny DeVito could get away with that language in the ‘G’ rated film, ’Matilda’.

With provisions neatly placed in a basket we set off, taking a short detour to pick a friend up, en route.  This marked the start of a very sociable evening for Poppet.  After Robin got in the car, she was invited by Poppet to talk about her weekend.

“What did you do on the weekend, Robin?” pipes up Poppet from the backseat.  I helped out a little, “What are you doing on the weekend, Robin?”

Robin started to explain her plans for Saturday, including the fact that she was having guests over for dinner.

“Yes.  Hmm.  Uh huh,” Poppet listened intently.  She’d be great in customer service, I thought.  She makes all the right noises.

“And what will you have for dinner with your friends?” asked Poppet.  Robin gave details of the delicious menu she had planned.  After the menu had been discussed and comparisons made to favourite foods, Robin was taken back in time.  (Robin had been doing beautifully keeping up with the random way Poppet asks questions, not to mention trying to interpret Poppet’s slight speech and grammar issues.)

“So, what did you do on Mother’s Day?”  Poppet asked.

Off Robin went again, describing the evening she had with her family.  They had seafood for dinner, which is a favourite of Poppet’s.  Once again a lengthy discussion ensued about favourite foods.

As we were walking up to the front door, Robin commented on Poppet’s toys.  “Isn’t he lovely?” she remarked, referring to Jessie.

“She’s a she,” Poppet immediately corrected.  She’s very protective of her toys.  They are like siblings and she has very deep connections with them, often sharing her thoughts and stories.

“Did you seen Toy Story?”  Poppet asked Robin.

Robin admitted that she hadn’t, which took Poppet by surprise.  I could see by the look on her face that she hadn’t considered there were people in the world who hadn’t seen one of her all-time favourite movies.

Reflecting on the second DVD she had in her basket, “What about Chicken Run.  Do you seen that?”

Robin hesitated and confessed that she knew of the movie but hadn’t managed to see it.

“Would you like to come to our house to see it?” invited Poppet.  Fortunately, we arrived at the front door and were distracted as Robin rang the doorbell.

I marvelled at my little girl who is so comfortable talking with adults.  She has learned how to engage grown ups in conversation and keep them talking.  She hasn’t yet been able to achieve this with her peers and I guess it comes from being an only child and also from being a child with an intellectual disability.  Kids generally don’t have the ability like adults do, to create a conversation from nothing in particular.  This saddens me a little, although I feel brighter when I look to the future, knowing she will not be a child forever and will (hopefully), have relationships that are more productive as an adult.

John welcomed us in and seeing Poppet’s two toys in her arms, commented on how lovely the toys looked.  Feeling optimistic with this particular grown-up, Poppet introduced herself.  “Hello.  I’m Poppet,” she said as she extended her hand.  “Do you seen Toy Story?”