![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Dear Care and Feeding,
My nephew is 9 years old. He has cerebral palsy and suffers from limited mobility (he uses a wheelchair), vision impairment, cognitive impairment, and a seizure disorder. He has recently been matched with a service dog who is primarily needed to alert the family to seizures, but also provides him with support to be more independent. I am very glad that he has the dog to assist him.
The problem is that my wife and one of my children are allergic to dogs. We live a few hours away by plane and visit my parents twice a year (they come to visit us twice a year). When we visit, we stay with my parents. Unfortunately, my parents watch my nephew after school one day a week. This means that the dog is in the house at least once a week. Even with deep cleaning, that is likely to set off an allergic reaction in my family. My parents have suggested that we begin staying in a hotel. My kids are very disappointed because they love Grandma and Grandpa’s house—they love the candy drawer and my dad’s woodworking shop and sleeping in a tent in the basement with all my old toys. My wife and I don’t want them to lose that experience. We’ve asked if my parents could watch my nephew at my sister’s house, but they said the commute is too far (his special needs school is near my parents’ home, but about an hour from my sister’s home). We asked if the dog could stay home on the day my parents babysit, but that was shot down, too. I’m not sure how to proceed from here. They do not seem willing to compromise, and I don’t want my kids to feel less important than their cousin.
— What’s Fair?
( Read more... )
My nephew is 9 years old. He has cerebral palsy and suffers from limited mobility (he uses a wheelchair), vision impairment, cognitive impairment, and a seizure disorder. He has recently been matched with a service dog who is primarily needed to alert the family to seizures, but also provides him with support to be more independent. I am very glad that he has the dog to assist him.
The problem is that my wife and one of my children are allergic to dogs. We live a few hours away by plane and visit my parents twice a year (they come to visit us twice a year). When we visit, we stay with my parents. Unfortunately, my parents watch my nephew after school one day a week. This means that the dog is in the house at least once a week. Even with deep cleaning, that is likely to set off an allergic reaction in my family. My parents have suggested that we begin staying in a hotel. My kids are very disappointed because they love Grandma and Grandpa’s house—they love the candy drawer and my dad’s woodworking shop and sleeping in a tent in the basement with all my old toys. My wife and I don’t want them to lose that experience. We’ve asked if my parents could watch my nephew at my sister’s house, but they said the commute is too far (his special needs school is near my parents’ home, but about an hour from my sister’s home). We asked if the dog could stay home on the day my parents babysit, but that was shot down, too. I’m not sure how to proceed from here. They do not seem willing to compromise, and I don’t want my kids to feel less important than their cousin.
— What’s Fair?
( Read more... )