I’ve often heard pregnant people say that they don’t care about the gender of their babies, they just hope that they’ll be healthy and “normal.” It makes sense that people hope their babies will be neurotypical and not disabled in any way, just because people want their children to face as few obstacles as possible. But, as we all know, life isn’t like that—there are all kinds of different children and some of them happen to have Down Syndrome.
Children with Down Syndrome have a certain degree of learning disability and delayed development, but the extent varies greatly from child to child. They might not learn physical skills like walking and talking as quickly as children without the condition, but they do get there. It just tends to take longer.
But they are still children and as such, they experience all the joy and happiness that other kids do. Jason Kneen, an app developer and father of five, recently tweeted, as though a person were asking him a question, “My child has Down’s Syndrome, what should I expect?” His answer was a picture of his daughter Rosie just beaming from ear to ear and the words, “This. 100% this.”
"My child has Down's Syndrome, what should I expect?"
This. 100% this. pic.twitter.com/vo0Bu0Eoxp
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 21, 2019
Kneen followed that up with another tweet with more absolutely adorable pictures of Rosie.
Also expect this!#wouldntchangeathing pic.twitter.com/t7yBQKRNlV
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
His tweet went viral, and Kneen took the opportunity to speak a bit about what it had been like for him to be the parent of a child with Down Syndrome.
Overwhelmed with the replies, likes and comments about this post and thread — and thank you to everyone sharing their own stories and photos here.
A “quick” thread…
1/12
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
He wrote that it was a “shock” when she was born and that it was overwhelming to process.
I was totally NOT ready for a child like Rosie. It was a shock when she was born and I’m ashamed to say I didn’t take it well initially.
2/12 pic.twitter.com/PHNRJny7mW
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
Part of that was the matter-of-fact process that happens where you’re bombarded with documentation and booklets and basically “manuals” on “what’s wrong and going to go wrong with your child”
3/12 pic.twitter.com/7dT2ZeXUN9
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
It’s devastating to hear how your child’s life has already been predicted and mapped out. All children are different — how can ANYONE predict their future?
4/12 pic.twitter.com/obEDphXtFS
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
But he soon realized that his child wasn’t that different from others.
Quickly I realised that ANY child can be slow to talk; slow to walk; have learning difficulties, and ANY child can be brilliant and wonderful and amazing.
5/12 pic.twitter.com/Mi3ufbJmKc
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
Unfortunately, some children with DS are susceptible to respiratory problems and infections.
Like any child Rosie has been through it — we’d been through febrile convulsions with 2 before Rosie was born, and whilst she avoided that, she suffered badly with Bronchiolitis and was in hospital for a couple of weeks with @binkyboobar in 2015
6/12 pic.twitter.com/UNyy4NUoeh
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
Just before Christmas 2017 she was taken into hospital again with the same, but that also turned into Pneumonia— @binkyboobar was with her for the first couple of days but we had a newborn baby and it wasn’t practical to have them all in hospital.
7/12 pic.twitter.com/uJudnEirjE
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
So, I took over, as I can work from anywhere, and stayed with Rosie over Christmas and New Year — we all made the best of it with FaceTime and hospital visits from family.
8/12 pic.twitter.com/Eve62vhcNR
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
Rosie I and became thick as thieves over that time and watched Moana together many times and EVERY SINGLE DAY — thanks @TheRock for teaching me all the songs 🙂 — Rosie was so brave, and so strong.
This is her, with assisted oxygen, watching Moana.
9/12 pic.twitter.com/H9e5tNuDF8
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
She met Father Christmas, and the Salisbury football team and just powered through it — with all the injections and tests and cables and pipes etc. She was amazing and SO brave.
10/12 pic.twitter.com/dxUNu94pZl
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
Soon after she was back to her normal self ????
11/12 pic.twitter.com/wZfKfeJogc
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
A year later and we had our Christmas at home and together and she continues to enjoy life, every day, and reminds us and ME how fun it all is.
12/12 pic.twitter.com/7d4j2QCAPQ
— Jason Kneen (@jasonkneen) February 22, 2019
With each tweet, Kneen included another sweet picture of Rosie and the rest of his family.
People on the internet were clearly moved and responded by sending Kneen, Rosie, and the whole family lots of love. People who had family members with Down Syndrome sent pictures and stories of them thriving.
?❤️ pic.twitter.com/fpEbtVzJdw
— Melanie Stanley (@MelStanley3410) February 23, 2019
And a sprinkling of this! pic.twitter.com/SsGLHZxHWb
— Compostella (@Compostella) February 22, 2019
A life full of unconditional love ???? pic.twitter.com/89GM3q8ovG
— Martin Blunden (@FireScot_Chief) February 22, 2019
Happy times ???? pic.twitter.com/O9febR9oT9
— Lee Mac (@mcnamaraLee) February 22, 2019
This joy!! pic.twitter.com/GwSmlZZjE1
— Ang (@ang_xxox) February 22, 2019
My nephew has too . He’s a marvel pic.twitter.com/XwzOO1xS8W
— punk mum (@punkmum) February 22, 2019
Oh she is so beautiful! My ovaries are pinging! This is our bundle of fun. Wouldn’t change her for the world but I would change the world for her. She is the true meaning of love ???? pic.twitter.com/MWlKPcp3gC
— Kirsty Evans (@kirevie) February 23, 2019
Okay, hands up who’s crying?
h/t: Someecards