On Duty

I have a little job that I love a lot. Scratch that. Atrain, Jdog and I have a little job that we love a lot. I say “little” only because it’s part time and pretty flexible, but we take it very seriously—especially when we’re “on duty.” Being on duty means that we hold a radio after the housing office closes so that we can help people around our apartment buildings. Whenever that little radio shouts out my number Atrain says, “Can I come help people, too?” And on many occasions, he can.

Atrain is great at helping me help people get back into their apartments when they lock themselves out. But until this weekend I never really noticed how much he actually understands our “lock out” procedures. Most of the time he just quietly observes my interactions with locked out residents. Occasionally the residents will talk to him and tell me how cute he is, but he’s somewhat stranger shy, and stays silent most of the time—sometimes even darting his eyes in the opposite direction, pretending there is no one talking to him at all.

But today something surprising happened: he spoke up. When we got called to help someone who had been locked out he began instructing me. “Get the key from the key room, mom, and don’t forget to come back and get our keys when we’re done…Ok, now does he need to be let in this door and the door inside?...Make sure you check his name on your papers (roster), mom.” He said. The resident got a kick out of it, and so did I. “Ok, Atrain, and now what?” I responded, egging him on. “How do I do that?” I questioned his responses, testing his language skills. And all that he had quietly soaked in during our many trips to “help people” kept surprising me, every time he opened his mouth.

Deaf children have a difficult time learning things vicariously—even if you have cochlear implants. It’s something that hearing kids do without even realizing it: soaking in second hand language lessons from their parents and peers. I do a lot of one on one explanation, questioning and coaching with Atrain, but this kid ceases to amaze me. I’m amazed that every day with my deaf child I can still wonder things that other parents wonder. Things like, “Where did you hear that?” and “Did I teach you that?”

It feels amazing to ask myself these questions, and to realize that Atrain’s listening skills are becoming more and more independent. I thank God every time I pause to wonder where he heard that. And, I’m grateful every time Atrain reminds me how to do my duty; because even when I’m not holding the radio and helping people for my little job, I’m always on duty with my little kiddos.