Sometimes I think about what it means for a child to grow up connected to Deaf and hearing people.
There can be beauty in that.
Different perspectives.
Different ways of communicating.
Different ways of understanding people.
As a Deaf mother, I often reflect on the difference between belonging to those spaces and being expected to manage communication between adults.
The two are not the same.
A child may move comfortably between them, value those connections or feel proud of what they know.
But those connections shouldn't automatically become responsibilities.
When adults expect a child to pass on messages, explain conversations or manage expectations between them, the child's ability to connect can start being treated as an obligation.
Helping by choice is different from being relied upon.
I want my children to have the freedom to belong without feeling responsible for holding everyone else together.
Connection should never come at the cost of childhood.
REFLECTIVE QUESTION
Where is the line between belonging to different communities and being expected to take responsibility for communication between adults?
