Lesson Learned and Applied

While watching the season finale of The Secret Life of an American Teen or whatever the long title was, my granddaughter made an observation about the character Tom Bowman. She said he sounds just like a friend of ours and also a girl at her daycare. Luke Zimmerman, the actor, has Down Syndrome. Just like our friend and just like the little girl at the daycare. When Toots first met our friend, G, we were riding to the airport together. When he talked, she couldn't understand him. I overheard her say, "If you are going to talk in that whiny voice, then I can't understand a word you are saying." This phrase is used often at her daycare with her as well as others. G wasn't whiny, but she couldn't understand him. After I reprimanded her, she tried to listen more carefully and was soon able to understand him. They became fast friends before the trip ended. Kudos to the show for including real-life characters in their show. For a child as young as 4 can relate fiction to life.