A young girl describes the joys and problems of having a younger brother who is disabled.
Sometimes I wish that my little brother, Ethan Michael, wasn't even around. He has Down's syndrome, and even though he is eight now, he acts more like he is three or even younger at times!
He was born with an extra chromosome, and because of it, he is mentally handicapped, and he doesn't learn things as easily as I can. He is eight, as I just said, but he can't tie his shoes, write or read, and he throws temper tantrums whenever he is upset. He also walks funny, and he drools, which I think is disGUSTing. In addition, he doesn't talk clearly, and he is short and roly-poly: he looks like a little clown.
Ethan goes to my school (I am in sixth grade; he is in second), but he is in a class for disabled kids. I don't see him much during the school day unless we're at some special assembly or at lunch; any other time he is in his class, and I am in mine.
Sometimes I get teased because Ethan does things that are downright embarrassing to me. For example, he'll bang his head on the floor or hit himself if he is mad, or worse, he'll scream like he's being killed or something. Or he'll put his hands in his pants and then smell them. Or he'll come up to you and give you a big bear hug or a drooly smile, and he'll often forget to wipe his nose. He has allergies (and asthma), and his nose runs like a faucet. It's really gross, especially if one happens to be eating. The kids think he is nothing but a stupid retard, and they'll tease me about him or his behaviors, or worse, they'll ask ME if I am retarded, which REALLY makes me mad!
Ethan doesn't really do anything to hurt me, but I have to put up with his behaviors, and when mom and dad go out somewhere, I usually have to stay behind and "Ethan-sit" instead of getting to go out with my friends, and that can really be a big royal pain in my butt! Or, if I DO get to go anywhere with my parents, then Ol' Drool-Face has to go, too, and sometimes he'll act up in public, and I somehow end up looking like the bad girl. Mom or dad will get mad at me because they think I was the one who instigated him and got him all worked up in the first place, and I had NOTHING to DO with it!
Plus people will stay away from me because being around my little brother somehow makes them "uncomfortable", and they stare at him or say mean things to him that hurt his feelings..or MINE.
This is why I hate my little brother at times because people DON'T know what I have to go through day in and day out, in regards to his behavior or his disabilities, and they don't know or understand why Ethan is the way he is. That is probably the biggest worry I have about having a little brother who has special needs that are beyond his control; and I DON'T like it, not ONE bit!
Little Z is a little person who feels lost and alone. Will he be able to focus and gain control to find his way and find the friends he wants to have? Read this short but very sweet story to find out what happens next.
