Marcus isn’t always great at direct question and answer. Prepositions and pronouns are sometimes hard for him to grasp and answer. Directions like up/down/under…are very hard for him. However, he’s very good at grasping abstract thought, he has communicated/shown me this for years in ways broader and bigger than just words.
This is part of why I decided to share this fun experiment here – because you can really see his capacity for perception in ways bigger and broader than just a concrete or even “obvious” answer. When it came to the pronouns, I changed the sentences to say, instead of “what do I” to “what does Mardra…” – this was clear to him and he popped these answers out quickly. Faster than I expected, actually.
Two Perspectives
I wanted to share these with Quinn, so I decided to ask him the questions, too. After he answered, I shared Marcus’ answer. This will add legitimacy to the whole equation, or at least consensus. 🙂 SO, yet again, here we are to talk about Me. You ready?
What is something I always say?
MARCUS – I’ve got so much work to do!
Q –I’ve got so much to do!
(me: It’s a fair cop.)
What makes me happy?
MARCUS – Quinn
Q – Flowers
(me: awww. and…I’m waiting….:) )
What makes me sad?
MARCUS – Movies
Q – Mean People
(me: So true.)
What was I like as a child?
MARCUS – listened to the radio (Casey Kasem)
Q – Precocious
(me: considering neither of them knew me as a child, that’s pretty good.)
What’s my favorite thing to do?
MARCUS -Books – read and write
Q – Grill Steak
(me: Marcus first answer was just Books. I asked, read or write? He said, “Read and write.” About Quinn’s answer, I think you will see a theme develop here.)
If I become famous, what will it be for?
MARCUS – Love
Q – Writing and Speaking
(me: I can’t read Marcus answer to anyone without crying.)
What am I good at?
MARCUS – New Job
Q – Writing, speaking, running million dollar businesses, cooking, grilling steak
What am I not good at?
MARCUS – Roller coasters!
Q – letting go of the day’s chores
(me: so very true.)
What makes you proud of me?
MARCUS – You’re the best in the whole wide world
Q – Ability to get things done and your social charms
(me: awww and Ha!riggghhhhtt.)
What is my favorite food?
MARCUS – Steak
Q – Steak
(me: Actually, the first answer Marcus gave was “Chocolate.” “What?” I said. “Chocolate?” Then he grinned and said, “Pizza!” “Pizza?!?” Now he was laughing at himself and sharing a littney of other foods that are other people’s favorites. “Alright,” I said, “Now, what’s Mom’s favorite food?” “Steak.” Eeesh. Goofball.)
What do we do together?
MARCUS – Watch Disney!
Q – BBC and laughing
(me: Makes it look like all of my family “quality time” is in front of the TV. Yeah, so…sigh.)
Where is my favorite place to eat?
MARCUS – Jimmy’s Egg
Q – Chicago
(Me: It’s true, Marcus and I like to go to Jimmy’s Egg. In fact we just went there to meet some new-old friends. And Chicago – how I love to eat in Chicago. Every trip I make to that city evolves around where I want to eat.)
If I could go anywhere, where would it be?
MARCUS – London
Q – Scotland
(me: Excellent. Let’s go!)
Do you think you could live with me forever?
MARCUS – Yeah – working together!
Q – yeah…
(me: whew!)
What is your favorite thing about me?
MARCUS – You are my Mom!
Q – That’s a secret
(me: 🙂 🙂 🙂 )
SO thanks to my friend, the lovely writer extraordinaire, Cheryl St.John, for sharing this quiz on FB and inspiring these fun conversations. Here’s a repeat of the pics for your viewing pleasure.
Photography by Jensen Sutta
And courtesy of Global Down Syndrome Foundation
Marcus and Rachel – the Sassy Southern Gal
meeting up in Omaha
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