I am currently studying psychology in college and one of my assignments is to interview the hearing children of deaf parents and the deaf parents about their hearing children. Even if you don't feel comfortable being interviewed I would appreciate answers to these questions:
how do you think deafness has impacted your parenting or your relation to your child?
for the deaf parents, do/did you wish that your child was also deaf or if you were able bodied? If so, why?
for the children of deaf parents, do you feel like having deaf parents significantly impacted your experience growing up? If so, in what way?
for the children of deaf parents, did you feel like you had to take on some adult responsibilities in the hearing world for your deaf parents? If so, how?
for deaf parents, did you feel a disconnect with your hearing child as you were raising them and were there any challenges in raising your child because of that disconnect?
thank you so much for your answers I really appreciate it! If i said anything wrong or offensive please let me know, I mean no offense or harm, I just want to learn and understand.
Hi. I can only speak from a late-deafened perspective. I became deaf abruptly due to injury in March of 2022, so it was definitely life changing. I can answer at least one of your questions.
how do you think deafness has impacted your parenting or your relation to your child?
My teenage daughter and I have always been close. Think Gilmore girls! We talked all the time and when I became deaf it was foreign territory that was met with a lot of frustration. She felt like giving up on talking to me, I felt like giving up on trying to make people understand me. It was so life-changing that neither one of us knew how to navigate. To keep the communication doors open with a teenager for any parent can be a struggle as is, then to throw deafness in the mix was an entirely different arena. We went through many things together and still do. She used to be super embarrassed at school functions as I didn't speak so eloquently anymore. My challenge of reading everyone's lips and telling someone to hold on to speak while I get my caption device ready was a nuisance. Not to mention, that people in general just tend to give up on you when you can't communicate like they can.
It was a challenge finding what works for us, but if you want it, you find a way. Sounds cliche I know, but nonetheless true. Now we are back to being close again. We made the journey to sign with one another. Our house is full of flashing lights and stomping haha. We have learned to make the most of it and make sure we give one another grace! it was an uphill battle but also a great opportunity to show kids what they are made of. How resilient they can be and how just because it didn't happen to you, doesn't mean it shouldn't matter to you.
