Our Deaf Sons Magical Experience with Father Christmas
We met Father Christmas and what a lovely experience it was!
As with most things we do it was not easy, nor was it perfect, but it was amazing! Charlie struggled at times, he didn’t understand the walk through to the grotto.
He did count the elves and he said hello to the owls but it was quite overwhelming. At times I felt that familiar feeling of being out of control. I wondered if we’d made a mistake and I worried we were ruining the experience for the other family in our group.
Finally we made it to Father Christmas and we were pleasantly surprised when Charlie took a seat with the other two children. Father Christmas started to ask him questions about his spiderman boots and sweater, he got no response.
I had to quietly say “Charlie is deaf and non verbal he reads lips” and then the most magical thing happened, Father Christmas bent down and started to talk slowly and deliberately.
Every word in Charlie’s eyeline, every lip movement pronounced, and then Charlie responded. He copied the words, he talked of sprinkling Reindeer food on Christmas eve. I almost cried. The other family smiled and applauded him and it was such a beautiful experience.
When it was time for Charlie to have photos his nerve was lost, his anxiety took over and he couldn’t sit with Father Christmas, so he came to him. He was patient and understanding and because of that Charlie managed a photo!
Hearing Charlie say “thank you” to Father Christmas and “bye” I was overwhelmed with emotion.
Some days are just special, this was one of them. We are so grateful to the other family for their understanding and we are beyond thankful for Father Christmas.
Thank you for including him, thank you for making him feel heard, you are truly amazing. You will probably never realize the difference your actions made today, but I’d like you to know what you did mattered and it was very special. So Merry Christmas and thank you so very much.
Some days are special and this was one of those days! Sometimes just a little bit of understanding and a sprinkle of adaptation really does make a day magical.
