See…Noah’s not always a happy, smiling baby!
People often ask me if one of the characteristics of Down syndrome is happiness, since every time they see our son he has a huge smile on his face. Well, as awesome as that would be, it’s just not true. (As you can see in this picture.)
Even though he likes to pout and cry like every other little boy, it’s still super fun being Noahs Dad! -)
Noah's Dad | Pictures 
[…] doesn’t matter what this little boy is doing, he almost always has a smile on his face. I love […]
Thanks for saying this – I’ve been a volunteer and paid support person for people with intellectual disabilities and their families going on 25 years and this includes many individuals with Down syndrome (mostly adults) and the “always happy” stereotype is not only innaccurate but can also be dangerous – all human beings need to be encouraged and welcomed to express the full range of emotions, and I have seen on many occassions the expectation of being “always happy” can mask some pretty serious feelings or events that need to be shared with a trusted person. It can be a lot of pressure being expected to always be happy!
Thanks for the kind words! What sort of work do you do?
Sorry I missed this so long ago! My wife and I started a local charity called LiveWorkPlay about 17 years ago. We support people with intellectual disabilities to live, work, and play as valued citizens, aka real home, real job, real life in the community. See my “biography” page for more info if you like 🙂
Oh wow. that’s very cool. I’m looking forward to learning more about that. It sounds awesome! Where are you guys located?
We are in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 🙂
Very cool! So nice to meet you! 🙂