Mother enjoys alone time as daughter with Down syndrome learns to bike
A German mother recounts in a family newsletter her experiences when her husband and daughter with Down syndrome visited the grandparents for a few days. She used the time alone, while her daughter achieved a milestone: riding a bike independently for the first time. The story highlights gratitude for small moments in family life.
Sandra Schulz, author of the SPIEGEL family newsletter, shares a personal anecdote about life with her daughter who has Down syndrome. Her husband and daughter went to the grandparents for a few days, which had brought the mother joy weeks in advance. On departure day, the daughter said: 'Mama, du zu Hause bleiben, bitte.' Schulz accepted this and enjoyed her freedom.
She took long E-bike tours of 50 to 60 kilometers through the hilly landscape, ate Sauerbraten undisturbed in a restaurant, and even took the bus in the wrong direction, which she found liberating. On the second day, her body rested, and she practiced a 'holistic earthworm diet' by neither shopping nor cooking. On the third day, she booked a wellness hotel and looked at family photos, including images of her daughter at bowling, on the school run, and eating ice cream. She texted her husband: 'Ihr fehlt mir (ein bisschen).' The reply was: 'Du fehlst uns auch (ein kleines bisschen).'
Upon return, Schulz learned of a major event: The daughter rode a bike independently for the first time for 15 minutes, side by side with her father, without anyone jogging alongside. The family had waited years for this. The daughter now plans a tour just with her mother: 'Papa vielleicht oben arbeiten.'
Schulz reflects on gratitude for the 'unmentionable' in everyday life and shares reading tips on topics like expressing love through cooking, child development, school inclusion, and caring for ME/CFS patients. A reader, Inga T., reports similar challenges with her autistic son and calls for more societal understanding.