# "Welcome To Holland"



## Lottie86

This article was the first article in my welcome pack from "Unique" the rare chromosome disorder people and I thought it was a brilliant article and so true so I thought I would post it on here.

*Welcome To Holland*

_c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved_

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"HOLLAND?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." 

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.


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## Aidedhoney

Thanks for sharing, 

xxx


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## angelstardust

I love that story. Made a huge difference for me when DS2 was diagnosed. 

And now I have a habit of calling our special children 'Dutch', which confuses some folk till I explain.


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## Emmea12uk

Love that poem. I use it myself for a support group.


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## Nic1107

That is really beautiful.


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## hopeandpray

very beautiful. great explanation


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## Tegans Mama

We have that framed :) A lot of people who don't have a disabled child don't seem to understand it though...


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## louise1302

thats beautifully written


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## Midnight_Fairy

i love it xxx


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## aurora

I don't have a disabled child, but that is an amazing explanation. Very touching. :cloud9:


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## keldac

:hugs: I don't have a disabled child but I thought it was lovely x


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## baby.love

Thats brilliant thank you for posting :flower:


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