He Gave Me My Ears That I Might Hear

Why Now? Part One

by Rebecca J on 2012-10-20

At my first appointment with Dr. Slater, he looked over all the hearing tests, scans, case notes, and everything in my file, and asked me, “Youʼve obviously been a candidate for a cochlear implant for a long time. Why now?”

Hereʼs part of the answer, and I dare say, my main motivation.

These two girls are the reason why. I want my children to be able to play at the park without being tethered to my side because I canʼt hear them calling me. I want to talk to my children in the car to learn how pre-school was that day and who bonked heads with whom and what kind of snack they had. I want to talk to my children without having them repeat themselves, especially after a story has taken considerable effort to tell in the first place. I want to hear the crash that warns of a playtime disaster. I want my children to know that I am listening, always listening, and that their words are so important to me. I want to hear my baby crying in her room upstairs. I want to be able to sing happy songs with my girls. I want to be comfortable taking the phone call from school telling me that my child is sick and needs to be picked up. I want to be able to watch silly movies and cartoons and puppet shows. I want my children to know that they are safe with me and that I can take care of them. I want to hear all the funny little things that they say when they are playing together. I want my children to enjoy all the happy things a childhood has to offer, without being held back by their motherʼs limitations.