Burps, Rasberries, and Cheetos

About a year ago, my son, Chip, said he wanted to be a special education teacher when he got out of school. That sure warmed my heart to think that someone with his special breed of compassion and intelligence would want to teach children like his sister, Ashley. Of course, since the whims of teenagers are fleeting, he now says he wants to work with a satellite radio company. Personally, I think his primary motivation is that he thinks he could score some free radios that way. But he really would make a great teacher.

He taught Ashley to do all the fun kid things that moms just can't bring themselves to do - things like how to burp really loudly and at the most inappropriate time and how to 'moon' someone, or at least make them think you are going to do that. When she was refusing to eat anything but a brown goo-like substance suggested by her feeding therapist and prepared by me in a blender with potatoes, beans and deviled ham, he taught her to eat Cheetos. Now, 6843 bags of Cheetos later, I wish he would teach her to eat something a little healthier!

He has taught her to say 'uh oh', 'Chip' and 'yuk', and this is a major accomplishment since she is deaf. He has taught her how to squirt people with the garden hose and how to throw a ball really far. He has taught her to blow rasberries on his belly and how to look really cool wearing a cap sideways. He has taught her to wrestle and how to share, to find edible leaves and how to wrap up in a blanket until she looks like a burrito.

He has, in short, been a wonderful and perfect big brother, and Ashley loves him the best!