Wide context
Complete PICLE corpus of essays by Polish advanced EFL students (330,000)
/^t/To most people who have never had a closer relation with so-called "mongolian" children, it may seem unbelievable that such children can contribute to the stability and serenity of their families. To most outsiders and even to the parents it means a big tragedy when their new-born baby turns out to have Down's Syndrome. The prognosis often don't leave the parents any hope. However, after some time they often discover that this "tragedy" has become an "element" uniting and integrating their family as nothing else ever before. Moreover, having a "different" child at home helps the parents to be more aware and flexible in evaluations of their other children and people in general. They become more understanding than they otherwise could be. While they observe slow progress of their child with Down's Syndrome they can truly appreciate the marvelous development and quick learning process of their fully capable children. What is more, "normal" children which are brought up together with their "different" sisters or brothers, which can see their efforts, suffering and small successes become more sensitive and tolerant towards others. It is as if their readiness to try to understand children with Down's Syndrome has extended into a general method of dealing with people.