DS1 is nearly four and is deaf in one ear. Hearing in his "good" ear is sometimes normal, but he has frequent bouts of glue ear which reduce his hearing levels even further, and this fluctuates from day to day. Despite this, his speech is very good and he seems to be coping well with nursery. He is a very sociable and confident little chap.
His behaviour is no better or worse than any other child's I've met of his age. He's a lively, boisterous little boy who likes pushing his boundaries and driving his parents up the wall. If I ask him to put his shoes on, I'll need to repeat it half a dozen times, and in the end I lose my temper and start shouting . I know that 3 year olds tend to ignore what they're being told at the best of times but I feel so guilty that I'm so impatient with him given that his hearing isn't good.
A few months ago I was diagnosed with depression and I'm taking ADs and going for counselling. Things have improved enormously since then, and in general I'm OK - much calmer and more patient. But I still lose my temper sometimes (once every few days, or so) then I feel horribly guilty afterwards.
I'm wondering whether I've been underestimating how much his hearing loss has been part of the problem, and I'm hoping that by focusing on this more, I might be able to find some more patience which will help us all through this. I feel like the worst mum in the world sometimes, and I desperately want to pull myself together.
I'd love to hear from other parents who are in the same boat. Does anyone else have similar experiences to share?
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Parents of children with partial hearing loss. How do you cope?
22 replies
uberalice · 03/04/2008 08:31
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