In some ways, these troubles add meaning to our life and make it worth living. But sometimes they are too much for us to take.[break]
I strongly believed in the statement “Morning shows the day.” Not until I started working with children with disabilities, I realized I could not be more wrong.
Usually, whenever I faced displeasing mornings or unpleasant events in the early morning, I could picture my whole day turning dark. But since I started working with these kids, even if I have the saddest morning, the moment I see them smile in spite of all their disabilities, it makes me forget all my worries.
My sadness seems very small in front of their smiles, and the joys they find in the smallest things. Little did I know “a bad hair day” would be so insignificant after seeing young kids not able to comb their hair or even hold the comb.
It never surprises me that not being able to hold the comb least bothers them: they have so many stuffs to worry about.
Usually, we don’t really treat the children’s physical disability: we work to increase their capabilities. But the expectations of their families, which they mostly fail to meet, add further more burdens on their weak shoulders.
Most of the parents fail to understand the fact that the child may not achieve everything, and may not always walk. But it is our duty to make sure the child achieves what he/she can in each important area of development. We should always help the child at her/his own speed, in small steps.
Parents trying too hard too fast not only discourage their child by failure but also hold back his/her progress.
Thanks to a growing number of organizations that help the children with diff-abilities, lucky ones have a hope for better tomorrows and independent future.
I call them “lucky ones” because even today tens of thousands of children with disabilities in Nepal are being shut out from or neglected by the school system. Most of them are bound to live within the four walls of their house and never get to see the real world.
But the comparisons never end. I feel really blessed being able to assist them in some ways and add smiles to their lives.
The writer is a physiotherapist for the past one year working with an NGO in the field of children with disabilities.
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