I owe a huge thanks to Ann Coulter. If it weren’t for her, this blog wouldn’t exist. I’ve been thinking about writing one for years but something always held me back. First it was our family’s fondness for personal privacy. Then my busy life. Being the parent of two spirited young boys doesn’t allow for much downtime. What little (time) I have is usually enjoyed mindlessly surfing the internet and reading design magazines. I also thought if I blogged about our son and issues surrounding Down Syndrome it would consume time and energy that could be better spent doing something fun with my kids, or at least the dishes. But the main reason I didn’t blog sooner was that I didn’t want the topic of raising a child with Special Needs to define me. Most days, that’s just a small part of who I am. For almost 5 years my husband and I have been enjoying our children and our relatively typical life. But in the last 6 months things have shifted. My son with DS is about to be 5 and is becoming school aged. That really puts a different spin on things. Meetings with our school district have foreshadowed struggles with educational “inclusion”. In addition, comments made by strangers, acquaintances, and even our close friends and family have shown me that there is still a widespread ignorance and misperception of what it means to have Down Syndrome in this millennium. And then Ann Coulter went on her “retard” and “retarded” rant three times this month and I felt a responsibility to speak up for some of the population she’s harming when she uses those hateful slurs. I’ll try to clear up some preconceptions about Down Syndrome, hopfully in fresh, funny and thought provoking way. Moving forward they’ll be stories, opinion (warning!), and any news I think is worth passing on. But that’s not all I’m doing here! On the days I don’t feel like writing about the joys and challenges of raising a child with “special needs” I’ll share some other interests and noteworthy information.

I don’t have anything to say to Ann Coulter that John Franklin Stevens didn’t already say better. Except a big Thank You for inspiring me to add my voice to the crowd of voices that will hopefully drown out yours.

Emma Byrne Rooney