Trying again, Christi introduced them to The Cosby Show. I hadn't watched much of his TV show when I was younger, but I was a huge fan of Bill Cosby's comedy routines. I gave the show a shot and we had a winner. At first we were just watching what was available on TV Land, but then we borrowed the first season from the library and we've been going through the episodes in order. It's a great family activity. The kids love the way Cliff Huxtable parents, and I must admit I've learned a few lessons from him. Just about every night, the kids look up at us with hopeful eyes and ask, "Can we watch a Cosby?"
Conner had never watched one before last night. It's pretty difficult to get anything out of a television show when you can't see it or understand any of the words. Usually he will be in another room listening to books on tape on his iPod or playing a simple Kung Fu game on the computer. But last night we encouraged him to come be with the family. Not only would he be around us, he would also be exposed to English, something that, over time, can help with his language acquisition.
So we went downstairs and put on the next episode of The Cosby Show. We didn't look for anything specific, we just turned on the next show in order. We are half way through the second season at this point, and this was the first show Conner had watched with us. This episode had Stevie Wonder as a guest star. A blind piano player! As we talked to Conner about Stevie, he really perked up. He was so excited. He earnestly asked a few questions: "Does he have a wife? Is she beautiful?" He was so happy to hear that a blind person was able to have such a fulfilling life.
Conner often asks questions like these: "Will I be able to get a job?" "Will I be able to get married?" He is so concerned about his future. I'm not sure what he was exposed to in China, but he is clearly lacking confidence that a blind person can have a rewarding life. What a tender mercy from our Father in Heaven that the first episode he watched with us had such a fine example of a blind man who was able to not just get by, but to rise to the top of his profession. It is another witness to me that our Father in Heaven not only knows each of us individually, but is there to guide us, to comfort us and to do so many things for each of us simply because He loves us.
-Jer
