Cadets in Training

Chance just turned 8. How this happened, I still don't know. But here he is, 8 and flourishing.

He had a birthday party and invited 16 kids. A few couldn't make it, so with Chance and his siblings, we had 18 kids here.

We had cadet training as all the kids were isued "tickets" and summoned to appear by policeman Chance. We had target practice with water guns, ran a course to test physical prowess, ate cadet approved hotdogs - and donuts, of course (Chance chose them, not even realizing the connection between donuts and policemen) - and broke open a pinata shaped like the number 8. Chance, his siblings and neighborhood friends created a spetacular crash out in front of the driveway. They were looking for chalk to ouline the bodies of the victims when the cadets started arriving.

As in past years, there was a mixture of deaf kids and hearing kids. Chance loved his party and just beamed as all of his friends were around him.

I loved the party and enjoyed watching the kids. One of my favorite parts though, came when the party had actually ended and Chance was out playing with one of his friends with a cochlear implant. Chance and about 4 friends were playing basketball across the street. His friend with an implant walked back to our yard to pick up one of Chance's birthday presents. Chance yelled out to him, "Don't get that out right now!" And his friend yelled back, "I'm not, I'm just moving it off the sidewalk."

I thought how amazing it was that two deaf kids were having a conversation across the street from each other. Neither one had to think about it. It just happened spontaneously like it would for any child who is not deaf. I thought how wonderful the situation really was and found myself grateful all over again for implants and what they make possible.