Stories of Wil: How the tortoise wins the race
Wil pretending to be a tortoise
By Christie Taylor
Wil is a 13-year-old boy with Down syndrome. He is the little brother, by 20 months, to twin sisters, Katherine and Elizabeth. Wil’s mom, Christie, knew very little about Down syndrome when Wil was diagnosed shortly after his birth. It didn’t take long for Christie to realize how enriching life with Down syndrome is. Embracing this newfound life, Christie was compelled to share her experiences with Wil. Christie’s desire, in sharing these stories, is to promote an awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the amazing capabilities of individuals with Down syndrome.
On a spring day, Wil was home from school not feeling well. I decided to take him to the doctor. He hopped in the passenger side of the truck, and looked up at the For Sale sign I had taped on the passenger window. With just enough sunlight to make the sign transparent, he read through the back of it.
“Miles,” Wil read out loud. Then he said, “Mom! I see Wil upside down.
What did he mean? He was sitting upright next to me. Then I looked at the sign and saw it. The first three letters of “Miles” is “Wil” upside down.
As an adult, I’m prone to routine. I’ve seen hundreds of For Sale signs and I rarely take not of anything new on them, let alone read them upside down. Wil rarely, if ever, sees something as ordinary. To him, there is something new in everything. And he’s right. However this type of perspective takes time.
Anyone who has lived with, been an educator for, or been friends with an individual with Down syndrome is very aware of this fact. Hurry is simply not in Wil’s vocabulary. Whenever possible, I add in a 10-15 minute buffer when we get ready to leave our home, because there is always a new observation or new clothing or hat change to be taken care of first (Wil loves hats and has quite a collection). Wil knows he’s not known for his quickness, and it’s become a bit of a joke around our household. When Wil decides on a last minute hat change, I’ll say, “Ok, Wil, go get your hat, quick like a rabbit!” He’ll laugh and reply with very slow, exaggerated steps, “Ok, Mom, sloooooow liiiike a tortoise.”
At the school circle drop-off, there is a 7-second rule. Students are to exit their car in 7 seconds and then the driver rolls away so the next car in line can pull up. This keeps the circle moving smoothly and efficiently. Even with our best efforts, 7 seconds is not realistic for us, so most days we park and walk up to the school. Some days Wil wants to be dropped off at circle, so we do the best we can. I know some parents have seen us go around the circle 3 times because Wil isn’t quite ready. We all have our “3 circle days.”
On one occasion, Wil wanted to be dropped off at circle, but “Boys ‘Round Here” by Blake Shelton came on the radio. He loves that song. So we made our rounds until the song was over. Though it took 3 circles, singing with Wil gave us both a happy lift to the morning.
Whenever we arrive at our destination, though it takes us a little longer, we typically arrive better for it. Sometimes I think it would do us all a bit of good to add a 10-15 minute buffer to some of days, to belt out that favorite song to the finish in the parking lot, or take a moment to read a sign upside down.
As I recall, it was the tortoise that won the race.
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