At home, parents felt their role was to nurse their little invalid. They were caring, nervous and watchful

This is number 41 of fifty pieces of poetry and prose written by Peter Limbrick as a monument to adults and children who have lived and died or are living now in inhuman situations. They are all inspired by real experience.

 

Play

Amal stayed in hospital for several weeks after birth until

well enough to go home. Doctors needed to run tests,

establish medication for his fits and resolve the issue of

milk going into his lungs.

When they took him home, his parents were given

detailed instructions about what to do, day or night, if they

saw any of the many listed danger signs. Parents were

forewarned of significant learning difficulties.

At home, parents felt their role was to nurse their little

invalid. They were caring, nervous and watchful.

After about nine months a teacher came along to help.

While talking to Amal’s parents and listening to their

story, she lifted him from his beanbag and propped him

between her knees so he was sitting on the floor against

her. He had never sat like this, said his mother.

While the conversation continued, the teacher improvised

a tea-tray in front of Amal over his legs. She asked for one

of his toys and learned that they were all in a box upstairs

in a wardrobe because he had not shown interest in any of

them.

The box was brought down and the teacher put a ball on

the tray and one of his hands near it. He knocked the ball.

An accident? She replaced the ball and he knocked it again,

and then again.

Amal was playing!

Both parents were delighted because he had not done

anything like this before.

The teacher had used only basic skills on this first visit but

the parents felt their little patient had become a child.

Now they could be a proper family.

 

The other 49 pieces can be seen here:

In Mind - a written monument to all people with intellectual disability. (Items 1 to 10)

In Mind - a written monument to all people with intellectual disability. (Items 11 to 20)

In Mind - a written monument to all people with intellectual disability. (Items 21 to 30)

In Mind - a written monument to all people with intellectual disability. (Items 31 to 40)

In Mind - a written monument to all people with intellectual disability. (Items 41 to 50)