How patience and support strengthened a mother-son relationship
Few people tell you what it’s like to be a parent to a child. When Stela’s son, Petre, was born with deafblindness, she felt scared. How would she cope with a child who was unable to talk or express his needs?
At first, it was hard to find a way to communicate. Stela learned basic sign language and Petre, who is “very intuitive”, was gradually able to understand her. He “uses the context of the conversation to make sense of what is being said”, and Stela credits him for being the one who makes their communication work so well.
Gaining confidence through connection
As time passed, Stela’s confidence grew. Participating in a trip organised by Sense International Romania had a profound effect on her. “It meant a lot that we met children with similar stories to Petre’s. For us mothers, these meetings helped us unload and talk openly about painful things. It is much easier to talk to someone who understands, who has experienced similar things.”
Stela formed a close friendship with other mothers she met through our programmes. Through regular Sunday walks, Stela began to realise she had the power to effect change. She enrolled in a course on deafblindness, which significantly shifted her approach to parenting Petre. Stela learned to be more patient and supportive during their interactions, encouraging Petre to continue expressing himself despite the difficulties.
The change didn’t happen overnight, but Petre is now more able to express himself and willing to help Stela in understanding him when communication doesn’t go smoothly.
“Before I didn’t always have patience. I was hasty, drawing my own conclusions. And Petre agreed, he couldn’t contradict me. After the course, I was more patient, and I saw that he wanted and could say more, but I hadn’t given him that chance.” – Stela, Petre’s mum
A deeper relationship
Stela’s relationship with Petre has deepened as she continues to learn and adapt. With the support from our programmes, she has been able to explore Petre’s inner world more thoroughly and understand all that he is capable of.
“It seems like you know your child after so many years… But the reality is that you can always discover something more. With Sense International Romania’s help, I was able to dig deeper into his soul, to see what he wants, and to understand him more.” – Stela, Petre’s mum
Stela has also gained the confidence to involve Petre in new activities. They now go to the city to visit a friend of Petre’s, another young man with deafblindness, and his mother. The last time they met up, Stela noticed how Petre takes care of his friend. Seeing Petre’s gentle and kind nature deepened Stela’s understanding of the man Petre’s growing up to be.
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