Being different
growing up can be a tough road to hoe. Whether it’s braces or glasses or
anything to make you stand out or set apart from the usual crowd, being
different can just stink. But sometimes a kid will get lucky and be able to use
his “difference” for good. Being a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA) is no different.
As you all may
know, I’m the mother of three hearing/signing children. All three sign well and
communication in the house flows pretty well. Whenever they have friends over
or I’m at their school and need to talk with them in front of their peers, they
all seem pretty easygoing about it. So, I decided to interview each one in
private to see what they truly think…
ME: What is the
best thing about being a CODA?
MOLLIE (age 17):
Knowing a different language and meeting new people.
JACOB (age 15): I
learned other ways to communicate and it’s fun.
NATALIE (age 13):
It’s interesting to be able to sign and impress others with it.
ME: How about the
worst thing?
MOLLIE: I get offended
when someone talks about deafness being a bad thing.
JACOB: When I
make a mistake or someone has a hard time reading my sign and I have to keep
repeating myself.
NATALIE: I guess
when I’m trying to talk and sign real fast and it’s easier just to talk.
ME: Are you
singled out or teased at school when they find out your parent is deaf? Have
you ever been?
ALL 3: No.
JACOB: The other
kids think it’s cool to use my hands to talk.
ME: On a scale of
1 – 10, how well do you think you sign?
MOLLIE: 8
JACOB: 7.5
NATALIE: 8
ME: Have you ever
felt resentful that you have to sign when your mom’s around?
MOLLIE: Only when
I’m trying to have a private conversation with someone else.
JACOB, NATALIE:
No.
ME: And, finally,
is there anything you’d like to say about being a CODA or having a signing deaf
mother?
MOLLIE: It’s no different than having two hearing parents. I just get to be bilingual!
MOLLIE: It’s no different than having two hearing parents. I just get to be bilingual!
JACOB: Study hard
and try to have fun with it.
I think the
interviews went well and my kids seemed to feel comfortable being honest and
open. It just goes to show all the naysayers that deafness doesn’t really
affect parenting in and of itself. Just like everything else in this
world—different doesn’t mean worse.
I think it's awesome that they are so on board with the Deaf Culture and try to keep you involved, whether they want to or not. LOL That one was cute. We are all a hearing family here, learning ASL because our middle child is a bit hard of hearing. My husband introduced me, online, to an interpreter that is making a name for herself. Amber Galloway-Gallego. I checked out her videos and realized that some of the comments she's leaving for other wanna-be interpreters was not very pretty. I understand that some signs seem to be universal and others have 'accents' depending on where you are, but her claim was that she was just doing it all wrong. What do you think about someone trying to learn ASL to become an interpreter? Any suggestions on how to learn the language properly?
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