Deaf Parenting
Karli Dettman is passionate about raising healthy and well adjusted children. She has studied child psychology and development, and has counselled young Deaf and hard of hearing children. She can be contacted for Deaf parenting seminars.
She has written articles on her personal experience as a Deaf parent of three hearing children. The below articles were originally published on DiVine, an online community for and by people with a disability - www.divine.vic.gov.au
Raising kids that can hear (article posted 27/08/2010)
My husband and I are Deaf. But our three children can hear. We try to remember to stimulate their hearing. We play games and dance to music. Sometimes it can be hard not hearing when our children get hurt. Our children also sometimes wish we could hear them. But my husband and I are proud we are raising healthy and happy children. We want them to learn to deal with life's challenges.
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Bilingual kids (article posted 01/11/10)
My husband and I are Deaf. We have three children that can hear. We decided that they should learn both English and Australian Sign Language. We are confident we made the right decision. It can be hard for the children�s grandparents. It is also a challenge for our children to learn two languages. But our children are now doing very well at school.
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Do I have to eat that? (article posted 24/01/11)
Many parents find it difficult to get their children to eat healthy food. Good eating habits can start from when we are babies. There are many things you can do to encourage children to eat well. Growing your own vegetables can help. Kids who help grow their own vegetables are likely to want to eat them. Kids also like playing with food. You can use food games to encourage them to eat well. You can also get children involved in cooking. Cooking does not have to take a long time or be difficult. It can be a good activity for families to do together.
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When Kids realise (article posted 19/4/11)
I have two sons and a daughter. I want them to be happy and healthy. My husband and I are Deaf but my children are not. I had wondered when they would realise they are different. My eldest son was nine when he began to realise. He told me he felt different at school. But he realised he has things other children do not. He has parents who love him. He has a safe and loving home. He is becoming aware of his identity. I hope he will grow up feeling good about himself.
