Neighbours

They live next door to one another.

They are both in diapers; the pull-on kind. Their families help them practice using the toilet: sometimes they get there on time; usually they don’t. Neither one makes it through the night without an accident: every morning, the family washer is filled with bedding and clothing that was soiled in the night.

They both need some help being fed but they both insist on doing some of the eating on their own. They can both use utensils if their food is cut up a bit for them first. Neither of them have any teeth to speak of. They can’t walk independently, but they are able to move awkwardly about with a walker. They must be helped in and out of the car, of course, and thankfully, neither one has figured out how to release the seatbelt.

Neither of them can talk very much, but their relatives look forward to the day that they will be able to pronounce the names of their family members. They both get frustrated and occasionally throw temper tantrums: their families understand that this is mostly because they have few verbal skills and cannot always make themselves understood.

They can both really, really try your patience: sometimes, it is frequently necessary for one family member to ‘take over’ when another has simply had enough. Time outs are a requirement for their caregivers to keep sane, patient and relatively rested.

Their families take good care of them and watch them closely at all times. They use a baby monitor to ensure that if they have to leave them in a room alone, that they will hear any signs of trouble or distress.

They are both very loved and well cared for.

There is really only one major difference between them: she is almost 2 years old; he is 88.

Patti Moore Wilson/ © wednesdayschildca.wordpress.com

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