Chance or Choice?
Maria is a teenager who was temporarily surrendered to the institution a few days ago. The mother, who was there the whole time with Maria is a jobless 50 year old widow who earns 1,000 pesos a month from doing odd jobs. She is an undergraduate and most of her/ their money was spent on hospitalization of her husband before she passed away. They have four kids: The oldest is a guy aged 34, College Undergraduate and jobless, the second is a girl aged 30, College Undergraduate and jobless, the third is a girl as well aged 27, College Graduate, with an occupation but has a family and last one is Maria aged 14 and never stepped into any form of formal education.
What's wrong with Maria then?
Well first of all she has mental retardation with an Intelligence Quotient Level of Profound which means that if an average person has an IQ ranging from 71 - 90 then Maria's IQ is estimated to be below 20.
Mental Retardation is a stigma, any form of mental disability or handicap is but they didn't want that to happen to them. I think no one would want that to happen to them.
Anyway, so Maria is a case of a profound child. She has to be maximally supervised, she has to be dependent on others, and she can not perform any type of Activities of Daily Living. Even eating is and will be a chore for anyone who takes care of her. And also, she can't be educated in any way although training her to do some simple chores will be quite a challenge.
Maria's mom came in at the clinic looking so wasted and stressed. She was a little disoriented, as for the reason, I'm not the right person to ask her primarily. They came in with everything Maria belongs: from clothes to toiletries to toys. Looks like she'll be here for a long haul.
Her mom caressed her hair while she sat on her lap. A mother and child. A jobless mother and a retarded child.
As the mom slowly let her grip go, she stood up and said, Maria, I'll visit you this Sunday. And with that, she left with her friend who was waiting outside while Maria, unknown to the situation, unknown to the people, unknown to the environment, unknown to the culture inside, silently sat on a chair her mother provided.
According to the data, Maria's mom just needs a year to start something like a business, a regular paying job, a stable job then after establishing herself, she will return back to the institution to have Maria back in her arms again.
52 weeks of not being with her.
365 and 1/4 days of not be able to hug her at night.
12 months of them being separated.
Given all the circumstances above, would you have done the same thing to the same situation?
And, Maria's mom didn't visit her last Sunday.
What's wrong with Maria then?
Well first of all she has mental retardation with an Intelligence Quotient Level of Profound which means that if an average person has an IQ ranging from 71 - 90 then Maria's IQ is estimated to be below 20.
Mental Retardation is a stigma, any form of mental disability or handicap is but they didn't want that to happen to them. I think no one would want that to happen to them.
Anyway, so Maria is a case of a profound child. She has to be maximally supervised, she has to be dependent on others, and she can not perform any type of Activities of Daily Living. Even eating is and will be a chore for anyone who takes care of her. And also, she can't be educated in any way although training her to do some simple chores will be quite a challenge.
Maria's mom came in at the clinic looking so wasted and stressed. She was a little disoriented, as for the reason, I'm not the right person to ask her primarily. They came in with everything Maria belongs: from clothes to toiletries to toys. Looks like she'll be here for a long haul.
Her mom caressed her hair while she sat on her lap. A mother and child. A jobless mother and a retarded child.
As the mom slowly let her grip go, she stood up and said, Maria, I'll visit you this Sunday. And with that, she left with her friend who was waiting outside while Maria, unknown to the situation, unknown to the people, unknown to the environment, unknown to the culture inside, silently sat on a chair her mother provided.
According to the data, Maria's mom just needs a year to start something like a business, a regular paying job, a stable job then after establishing herself, she will return back to the institution to have Maria back in her arms again.
52 weeks of not being with her.
365 and 1/4 days of not be able to hug her at night.
12 months of them being separated.
Given all the circumstances above, would you have done the same thing to the same situation?
And, Maria's mom didn't visit her last Sunday.
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