If Only Batteries Could Fix Her!

My youngest son, Ty, watched as I lifted his big sister onto her bed after a round of physical therapy a few days ago. He doesn’t realize yet that Elise is profoundly affected by a brain injury. As far as he is concerned, every family has a little girl who rides in a big chair, cries like a baby, and is fed liquids through a tube in her tummy. I remember when my older son, Lane, started to become aware that there was something not quite right with his baby sister. It was a gradual process of realization that never needed a formal conversation about her differences. It just kind of happened. As he got older and understood more, it all just came together like a big puzzle. Each piece was put together from different experiences in public, question and answer sessions with Mama and Daddy, and tagging along to her many doctor visits. So, as I watched Ty watch me, I thought I would explain a little about her to him. For a two-year-old, her problems are a hard concept to grasp. I told him that her ears are broken so she can't hear him, and that her eyes are broken so she can't see him. He thought about it for a moment, pointed to her and asked, "She needs batteries?" He related it to a toy that quits working. It usually just needs new batteries. For now, that is how his little mind makes sense of his sister whom he can’t play with or talk to. So, I guess I won't be surprised if I come in one day to find Elise with a AA battery beside her in bed.