Rest Should Not Disappear When Access Is Needed

Symbolic photograph: A smartphone, passport, and a stack of documents rest on a counter in an empty airport waiting area. Rows of vacant seats are visible in the background under soft, natural light. No people are shown.

Sometimes I think about what rest means for children.

Not just sleeping.

Not just taking a break.

But the feeling of knowing that nothing is expected of you for a while.

As a Deaf parent, I have spent time reflecting on how responsibility can sometimes follow a child into places that were meant for rest.

An evening at home.

A family gathering.

A holiday.

A quiet moment.

The expectation may never be spoken out loud.

Yet it can still be there.

A child may know that if something is needed, they are likely to be the one who steps forward.

A child may not even question it.

It may simply become part of the background of everyday life.

The more I reflect on this, the more I believe rest is not only about having free time.

It is about being free from responsibility for a while.

Children deserve moments where they can fully put things down.

Rest should not disappear when access is needed.

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No Two CODA Childhoods Carry the Same Weight