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Featured Contributor Tina Marie McGrevy
Hey Daddy!
by Tina Marie McGrevy
"Hey Daddy! Hey Daddy! Hey Daddy!" The sing-song chorus was coming from the car seat behind me.
"What?" my husband, Charlie answered.
"Barney." As in the purple dinosaur, who is so loved by kids.
"Yes, Garrett." Charlie sighed. "You can watch Barney when we get home." Barney may be loved by kids, but he causes quite a different emotion in parents.
"Hey Daddy!" We were so excited when Garrett spoke his first words. "Hey Daddy!" It did not take long for the excitement to wear off.
"What Garrett?" Charlie asked, again.
"Barney." Garrett had just started talking recently, so my husband was still very patient with this new game.
"Yes, Garrett. When we get home..." Charlie calmly answered. Charlie's temperament is a result of years spent worrying that Garrett's language would never develop. Charlie made countless trips through the stack of sign language flash cards, not to mention, actual trips to Children's Hospital's Speech Clinic.
"Hey Daddy!" Garrett was almost two when he started therapy there.
"Hey Daddy!" His third birthday came and went without so much as a sound.
"Hey Daddy!" Garrett's fourth birthday also passed without achieving this milestone.
"Garrett?" Charlie asked, again.
"Barney." Garrett is now five years old. And in this one quick trip to the grocery store, the miracle of speech is beginning to fade.
"I have already told you. Please, do not ask again." Charlie has the patience of a saint.
"Hey Daddy!" For Charlie and me, the most challenging obstacle of our family's journey was learning that our son had mental delays. "Daddy!" We had dreamed of an ivy league scholarship, a law degree and even a term in the Oval Office. "Hey Daddy!" My baby is not "smart". "Hey Daddy, hey Daddy, hey Daddy!" I am ashamed to admit how much that bothers me. " Hey! Dad! Dee!"
"Garrett, enough!" Finally, Ward Cleaver's patience had run out. "When we get home, you can watch television. But, if you say 'Hey Daddy!' again, there will be no Barney. Not at all!"
Ah! The peaceful sound of silence... anyway, as I was saying, my son is mentally retar-
"Hey Mommy!"
Tina McGrevy and her husband, Charlie, live in Springfield, Ohio, with their three sons: Garrett, diagnosed in 2001 with SMS, Patrick, and Brennan. Now in second grade, Garrett is reading at a level that seemed impossible six years ago. As Garrett's speech skills improve, a talented comedian with a unique sense of humor has emerged. Tina has a degree in education, but enjoys staying home with the boys and writing about their adventures. She dreams of following in the footsteps of another Ohio Valley mother, Erma Bombeck."
To learn more about Smith Magenis Syndrome please visit www.prisms.org
by Tina Marie McGrevy
"Hey Daddy! Hey Daddy! Hey Daddy!" The sing-song chorus was coming from the car seat behind me.
"What?" my husband, Charlie answered.
"Barney." As in the purple dinosaur, who is so loved by kids.
"Yes, Garrett." Charlie sighed. "You can watch Barney when we get home." Barney may be loved by kids, but he causes quite a different emotion in parents.
"Hey Daddy!" We were so excited when Garrett spoke his first words. "Hey Daddy!" It did not take long for the excitement to wear off.
"What Garrett?" Charlie asked, again.
"Barney." Garrett had just started talking recently, so my husband was still very patient with this new game.
"Yes, Garrett. When we get home..." Charlie calmly answered. Charlie's temperament is a result of years spent worrying that Garrett's language would never develop. Charlie made countless trips through the stack of sign language flash cards, not to mention, actual trips to Children's Hospital's Speech Clinic.
"Hey Daddy!" Garrett was almost two when he started therapy there.
"Hey Daddy!" His third birthday came and went without so much as a sound.
"Hey Daddy!" Garrett's fourth birthday also passed without achieving this milestone.
"Garrett?" Charlie asked, again.
"Barney." Garrett is now five years old. And in this one quick trip to the grocery store, the miracle of speech is beginning to fade.
"I have already told you. Please, do not ask again." Charlie has the patience of a saint.
"Hey Daddy!" For Charlie and me, the most challenging obstacle of our family's journey was learning that our son had mental delays. "Daddy!" We had dreamed of an ivy league scholarship, a law degree and even a term in the Oval Office. "Hey Daddy!" My baby is not "smart". "Hey Daddy, hey Daddy, hey Daddy!" I am ashamed to admit how much that bothers me. " Hey! Dad! Dee!"
"Garrett, enough!" Finally, Ward Cleaver's patience had run out. "When we get home, you can watch television. But, if you say 'Hey Daddy!' again, there will be no Barney. Not at all!"
Ah! The peaceful sound of silence... anyway, as I was saying, my son is mentally retar-
"Hey Mommy!"
Tina McGrevy and her husband, Charlie, live in Springfield, Ohio, with their three sons: Garrett, diagnosed in 2001 with SMS, Patrick, and Brennan. Now in second grade, Garrett is reading at a level that seemed impossible six years ago. As Garrett's speech skills improve, a talented comedian with a unique sense of humor has emerged. Tina has a degree in education, but enjoys staying home with the boys and writing about their adventures. She dreams of following in the footsteps of another Ohio Valley mother, Erma Bombeck."
To learn more about Smith Magenis Syndrome please visit www.prisms.org
Other Stories from Tina:
He's the Same Baby
"He's the same baby he was this morning," our pediatrician told me as I held
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