What a difference a year makes. These young adults and children have undoubtedly grown and matured from good nutrition and healthcare. How nice it is to hear they’re moving forward and learning to live normally. I love thinking about how they have the freedom to take a shower and climb into a clean bed at night with a full belly. I hope that the cognitive delays from years of starvation can be overcome. I love that the 7 older ones live together. How comforting that must be to them. They can teach other life skills and tutor each other in their educational materials. I hope they make friends and have a nice social group to hang out with.
It is good that the older siblings are together -- but they will need lots of therapy, IMO, and they will need to learn/study a lot about what it is like to be 18 years old, or 20, or whatever. They have probably never driven a car; gone shopping for food, shopping for clothes (go to dressing room), or shoes; gone to a doctor for checkups, or glasses; gone to a dentist? Do they know how to brush their teeth, wash their hair, iron a shirt, run a washing machine (what is detergent?) or dryer, fix a bowl of soup, vacuum a carpet, how to respond to a smoke alarm, how to brew tea or coffee, to make a cake or pie, sweep the floor, what paper towels are for, take out the trash, lock and unlock a door or window, file or clip their nails, use a phone, use a computer or a computer keyboard, cell phone, call 911 in an emergency, wrap a present, learn basic American civics, register to vote, buy postage stamps, mail a letter, file their taxes, write a check or use an ATM or a credit/debit card, stop walking at a red light or stop sign, walk a dog, use a soda machine, order a hamburger or a salad at a fast food place, what a menu is, go to a movie, to wake up in the morning and go to bed at night, make up a bed, wear jewelry, tell time, all of that and so much more. They are certainly similar to cave men/women/children who were suddenly dropped into the 21st century. Learning these tasks and learning how to
be a person could be a fun adventure if things are/were/will-be made to be that way -- no fear or denigration, oh, it just boggles my mind.
"Developmental deficiencies" was mentioned for the older siblings -- oh, so many, I'm sure.
And this must be done without any hint of punishment, failure or fear. SMH. Praying for them and for their caregivers.
This could be one of the happiest recovery stories we've seen in a long while -- let's hope so.
There could be even more stuff in their history, that could come out at trial, that would make Beelzebub blush.
