Whether you are a parent, grandparent, or newly pregnant, you know that most prospective parents hold high expectations for their offspring. Superior intelligence, physical beauty, excellent health, and outstanding athletic ability are just a few of the qualities we dream our children will be born with. Since contemporary society tends to value these qualities above all others, it is only natural for us to hope our children possess the attributes that will provide them with the greatest opportunity for a successful life. But what if your child arrives with a different set of qualities- a combination of traits that the world views as a disability? What if you are told that your child will have Down syndrome? What happens to your dream of producing the perfect child? Nothing need happen to your dream. You only need to alter your definition of perfection. In this book, we will explore the myth of the perfect child, along with a number of popularly-held yet erroneous beliefs about the negative impact of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome. At the same time, we will begin to develop a new perspective on which characteristics are truly the most desirable in a changing world. As our society becomes increasingly self-absorbed, materialistic, and violent, the new human beings entering the world will need a fresh arsenal of personal qualities if our planet is to survive and thrive. If we hope to reverse what appears to be a downward spiral for humanity, then kindness, generosity, compassion, gentleness, tolerance, and good humor- attributes, by the way, observed with remarkable consistency in people with Down syndrome- must surpass physical perfection in terms of the enviable traits we dream of seeing in our children. With only a slight shift in our perception, we can clearly see that the extraordinary individuals dismissed for centuries as disabled, actually have a vitally important role to play in the world, and indeed may even hold the key to our positive advancement as a human family.
Stephanie Wincik is a lifelong resident of Erie County, Pennsylvania. A student of Civil War history, Stephanie is president of the West County Historical Association in Girard, Pennsylvania and the author of six books: Ghosts of Erie County, More Ghosts of Erie County, Heroes in Disguise, Reaching Through the Veil: Ghost Hunting in Erie County, and a time-travel series for children, Northern Lights and The Journey: A Northern Lights Adventure. Stephanie has published articles about Girard history in Pennsylvania Magazine, and speaks frequently about local history, legends, and ghost stories in Erie County, often appearing as a guest on area television and radio programs.
Stephanie graduated from Penn State University in 1977 with a degree in Nursing, and has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for over twenty- five years. Certified in Developmental Disabilities by the Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association in 2000, Stephanie's current position is Associate Director of Nursing/Health Services at Erie Homes for Children and Adults in Erie, Pennsylvania. She has published a book about Down syndrome, Making a Case for Life: A New Definition of Perfection, and recently a second edition titled Brilliant Souls.
