A few days ago, I wondered what you were wondering. What would you ask someone about hearing loss if you didn't have to worry about sounding silly or being offensive (I find those are the biggest reasons people don't ask questions)? I'm toying with the idea of starting a regular feature... let's call it What Would You Ask Wednesdays just for fun. It's lame, I know. Go with it.
Joey had two questions, so I figured I'd answer one today and one next week.
First up is, "Do you remember being able to hear?"
Kind of. I vaguely remember watching TV without the captions on. I remember one time my grandma called our house and sang me a song over the phone. I don't remember the words, but I remember hearing and understanding her through the phone.
Aside from those two memories, all I've ever known is being hard of hearing. I remember being fitted for a hearing aid for the first time, but I don't recall actually losing my hearing. It just was what it was. In my short life, I had no idea what "normal" was, so as far as I knew, this was normal for me. I did what my parents and the doctors and the audiologists told me to do. I figured they had everything under control because I was four and they were like, THIRTY (which, of course, is like 90 to a toddler!), so I was confident that everyone was taking good care of the situation.
When I was a little older, maybe seven or so, I started dreaming of the day when I wouldn't have to wear hearing aids. I was pretty sure it would happen by the time I was 14. Kind of a random number, but it must have held some kind of significance in my little girl mind! ;) Even then, I could tell I was "different," and I didn't like it. Honestly, some days are still like that, but now they're mixed with more days where I'm okay with it.
Hope that answers your question, Joey! Thanks for asking!
Anything you want to know?
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This gave me a big lump in my throat. Julia could sort of sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star when she was really little. It would mean a lot to me to know that she could hear me back then. It's one of the things that still makes me really sad.
ReplyDeleteFor some strange reason, even though I don't really know you, it makes me feel good that you can remember your grandma singing to you. It's a reason to have hope I guess.
This brought back memories for me-- I do remember being able to hear but I grew up hard of hearing and then became deaf. So each stage was an interesting time in my life. I didn't like being "different" while growing up. I'm raising my deaf/hh kids with a much different attitude-- in fact, my favorite quote that I always remind them of is this: "Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out."
ReplyDeleteAh, Joey, I hope it's not creepy for me to say I wish I could give you a hug! I know it must be hard being the parent of a hoh kid... I know it was hard on my parents when it happened to them. There's so much uncharted territory and since hearing loss is so different for each person, I think that can make it even more overwhelming! Just know you're not alone!
ReplyDeleteKaren, thanks for your comment! I was so excited to discover that THE Karen Putz had commented on my little blog! ;) I think it's great you are raising your kids with a different attitude - what a great role model you are for them! I wish I had had more of that when I was growing up - more deaf/hoh adults to look up to. Maybe I would have learned earlier that being "different" wasn't bad... just, well, different! Thanks for stopping by!