Before writing these lines I asked the protagonist if she would authorize me and she said yes. She thought about it for a short time and thought it was fine. Her name is Dominga, she is 16 years old and loves to do choreographies in Tik Tok, something that her mother saw very far away, because when her daughter was born, this social network did not exist and because Dominga had to do a lot of therapy to walk. "Domi," as her four siblings call her, is the only female child. Her mom's pregnancy was normal, and when Dominga was born she gave her parents a sustained look, almost intimidating them "She'll give us work, this girl!" they said jokingly as the family celebrated her arrival, although they didn't know that phrase would be entirely true. By her first birthday Domi was a healthy little girl, but she had already been to more than six specialists. What apparently seemed to be synonymous with a "quiet daughter" began to worry her family doctor. She ate little, slept poorly and was not meeting developmental milestones. The story is long and I must summarize it. I'll give you a spoilerDominga has an intellectual disability that makes her see the world differently from her siblings and some things are harder for her to understand. There are also other aspects of daily life that are not easy for her, such as buttoning a shirt around her neck or calculating the change for bread when shopping in a grocery store.
Her mother, who is me, has also had a hard time with some things. Having a different daughter makes you explore very unsuspected places and also reformulate the movie you had armed for your life. The "accomplishments" that didn't come, the pictures you won't hang on your wall (because they are simply things that won't happen) and the questions about the future that we have had to ask ourselves in advance. There is grief, it is very healthy and even liberating to take it on. Dominga has also taught me things that are as profound as they are fun. She has a great faith and, after communion, she collects herself in a way that impresses me. She is an Olympian at asking God for things; she wanted another addition to the family and there I was having my fifth child at age 42 when I had already forgotten that Peppa Pig and life jackets for swimming existed. When I see her praying I think "What will be what he is asking for, how scary!". Her requests are also sometimes unusual, such as an iPhone 13 or that we let her have an piercing. But if we think about it, Dominga is the wisest... she treats God like a father with affection and closeness. And I hope that, as until now, holding my hand, I can continue to guide her in a world with obstacles, even if she is the one who shows me the way to see the face of Jesus with such clarity and peace.
Chilean journalist.
