Crisis Should Not Change a Child's Role
Sometimes I think about how different emergencies feel for children.
Adults are often focused on finding answers, making decisions, and getting help.
Children are usually looking for something much simpler.
Safety.
As a Deaf parent, I have reflected on how easily a child can be drawn closer to communication during moments of urgency when professional access is missing.
Not because they asked to be there.
Not because they should be there.
But because emergencies can make people reach for whatever support is available.
In those moments, a child may want to help.
A child may feel responsible.
And a child may step into a role that was never meant to belong to them.
The emergency eventually passes.
What stays with me is the belief that access should never depend on a child's willingness to carry that responsibility.
In crisis, it is the child who should be held, not burdened.
This reflection comes from my perspective as a Deaf parent, shaped by my family, my experiences, and the CODA voices I have listened to over time.
