Moms and Muffins

Chance's school holds a "moms and muffins" night each year where moms have a chance to read to their kids and chomp down on muffins and milk.

Chance and I attended this year and brought some of our favorite stories to share.

The event was held in the school gym and the walls were literally covered with bodies as moms spread out with their kids to munch and read.

We found a spot on the stairs of the stage near one of Chance's friends and his mom. It was one of his friends who also wears an implant.

We were sandwiched in on all sides. People were next to us, on the step above us and on the step below us.

I made the comment to Chance's friends mother that the acoustics in the gym were not that conducive to hearing a story if you have an implant on. She agreed.

Chance and I started reading a story, but it was so noisy with other moms and kids reading and kids running around the gym that I suggested to Chance that we move to a quieter spot.

"Chance, is it too loud in here?" I asked.

"What?" Chance responded. (there was my answer)

"Can you hear me?" I asked.

Chance shook his head no.

"Do you want to go somewhere else where is it not so noisy?" I asked leaning in closer.
Chance eagerly agreed.

As Chance and I were having this conversation, I noticed that the mom right above us on the steps kept looking at me as she read. I thought it was odd since she was trying to read a book but she kept looking at us.

From her expression, I realized that she may have gotten offended thinking that I thought she and her daughter were reading too loud.

Chance was already half way across the gym by the time I gathered up the books. The mom above us was still watching me with an expression that seemed to say that she thought I was rude.

I didn't have time to chat, but don't know what I would have said anyway. I don't know if she noticed the implants, or if she was just thinking I was making a statement by getting up and leaving.

Having Chance has made me realize that you can't really judge a situation you see out in public. Chance threw a fit once in Target right after we found out he was deaf and before we had hearing aids. He was hungry, and I was trying to tell him that we were heading over to his grandma's to eat right after we were done shopping. He wasn't catching on so he collapsed in the back of the cart and just cried. Very loudly.

A woman across the isle just stopped everything she was doing and watched. As Chance's dad and I tried to help Chance understand what was going on, this woman gave us disapproving looks. She made it obvious that she thought our child was completely out of control and she didn't think we were handling the situation right. I wondered at one point if I should offer her some popcorn to got along with the show.

You never know what is going on with someone else. I have a few friends who have kids with autism and they talk about how they hate to go shopping because people glare and nod disapprovingly when their autistic child throws a fit or is loud.

I hope the woman did not take the situation personally. It is all in the perception sometimes.
I am not too worried about it though. I just try to remember when I am out and about that things are not always what they seem on the surface.

Chance and I ended up leaving the gym and finding a bench out in the hall. There was hardly anyone else out there so we got in some good story time.