Playtime
Here Chris and Dot
Hatfield give a brief account of a visit from a 6-year old
Russian boy that was organised by the Chernobyl Children's
Project.
Having agreed to host Staz an orphan from Chernobyl,
I immediately began to have doubts. My concern, “Buffy”. Would
our 2 year old ‘Saint’ (improper description) accept Staz 6,
autistic, unable to walk with impaired vision and hearing?
How would a child familiar only with life in an orphanage, react
to a rambling chaotic house, complete with dear delinquent
Buffy, prone to daily rituals of fence-leaping, pond-wallowing
and mud-wrestling (in that order) not to mention her “lets pin
them against the wall trick”!
The more I thought about this union, the greater my anxiety.
Eventually ‘D’ day arrived, by now my hair visibly greyer, my
husband’s less visible!!
Day 1 - Buffy much to her annoyance banished to the utility
room, secure behind the child gate. My plan… to introduce her to
Staz gradually. He of course had other ideas!!
Day 2 - Staz crawling at the speed of sound shot past us
whooping & laughing, his mission to repatriate Buffy. Having
succeeded in his quest, (gate opening now her speciality) Buffy
dutifully showed him her undying gratitude for the remainder of
his stay! Their friendship so eloquently captured in the
photograph.
They assumed a mother/puppy relationship, their moral
understanding having no need of verbal communication. If he
became too demanding or rough, she would gently nudge him, or
simply walk away.
We have experienced at first hand the joy animals can bring to
those with disabilities, caring for Staz was a breeze with Buffy
to show us how.
Copyright © D Deuchar Fawcett 2008