I was raised by a blind mother, AMA.

I was raised by a mother who has been blind for my entire existence. I love to see her face, though she has no idea what I look like. She has had to face so many challenges that I could never be strong enough to face. She had to fall in love with my dad only based on who he was as a person. She is a strong catholic, but has taught me so much about being a great human being. Please ask away.

Comments: 40 • Responses: 7  • Date: 

iamaredditer60 karma

Hey bro I had a client that is blind. It is an awesome experience being around her. She is 67 now and lives alone and gets along just fine. She has someone from the church take her grocery shopping. She is an amazing cook. Her sense of taste has fine tuned her ability in cooking. She had been a client for about a yr when one day she said you really smile a lot. I respond (after having a good relationship with her) how would you know. She said I hear it in your voice. Oh wow. She was right I do smile a lot. After that she said would you be offended if I put my hands on your face I want to see you. I was taken back but have much love for this lady. (she's my fav client) So I say well sure. So I approach her and she puts her hands on my face and with her hands she feels all aspects of my face and even my ears and the back of my hand and says you are a handsome man. I am just amazed.

So after this I invite her to lunch ( which she rarely eats in public) So I am like her knight in armor leading her the way and giving her instructions as to step up and her on my arm as a danzel. Well after we eat I ask her if there was one thing you could do in this life what would it be. She said drive a car. Well I said today is your day. We go out to the dirt roads in my little honda. I lead her to the drivers seat and go and secure my seat belt firmly. I told her just put it in drive and do not use the gas pedal until you get the hang of this. It was a very straight road for the most part. So we take off and I see the most euphoric smile and glow I have ever witnessed. After about two minutes she ask can we go faster. I said sure with my hand close by the steering wheel and hand close to the e brake. I had to help her a few times but would let her keep it between the ditches without help.

So next thing you know were doing around 30 and coming up to a curve in the road. not a big curve about 45 degree angle or so. I began to tell her Curve coming up in about 3 seconds and tell her I want her to turn the wheel with her right hand at her lap in 3 2 1 turn. She pulled it off. She did great and we have since gone on 3 drives. I see her in a week and ahalf and look forward to her cooking and her expression when we go for a drive.

ATXweirdobrew22 karma

Letting her drive leads me to a great story. Both my mom and dad grew up on the beach in Corpus Christi, Tx in the 70's. When the were young and most of the beaches were empty my dad would let me mom take the wheel. He would let her drive to her hearts content. Even when I was growing up I remember my dad letting her drive alittle on the beach as I sat on her lap.

She learned to cook really well, she can play the piano way better then me, and she is a message therapist.

cracka_azz_cracka25 karma

when you were young [and dumb as we all are in youth] did you ever take advantage of her blindness to pull one over on her and get away with anything big?

and if so do you feel bad about it or do you guys laugh about it now

ATXweirdobrew40 karma

Oh yeah, walking around butt baked in the house. Flipping her the bird when I felt like it. Nothing bigger then that, seeing how in the end i had big respect for her.

cracka_azz_cracka29 karma

butt baked, huh? is that some new kind of high the kids are into these days?

ATXweirdobrew39 karma

It is fucking awesome, all of the cool kids do it.

bluhblehbloo11 karma

Would she still come to your soccer games?

ATXweirdobrew23 karma

Yes she would, she would support me through anything.

Slappin_hoes10 karma

Have you ever treated her badly as a child that you get sullen just thinking about

ATXweirdobrew41 karma

This is one of the biggest things that have made me fell bad. I would always regret her blindness, especially going out in public with her guide dogs to the places I knew my friends would be. I HATED her blindness many times because of how I felt it affected my life. I never took into account about how bad it affected her life, especially having two teenage kids that were embarassed about her all of the time. Writing this makes me want to go back in the past and hit myself so fucking hard.

sarah_dangelo9 karma

did the house have to be like perfectly immaculate so she could easily find everything? lol and do you think her blindness changed her ways of raising you kids at all

ATXweirdobrew11 karma

The house was clean but not immaculate. Everything had its place and was messed with.

Lumpy_Space_Queen7 karma

Has she always been blind, or did something happen to her vision?

ATXweirdobrew21 karma

Retinal degeneration is what they tell me. When she was really young she could see big words in books and colors. So when I tell her something is round and orange then she knows it is the orange fruit. When I got to be sophmore in high school is when it got to be complete darkness. There was alot of crying, hugging, and emotions in the house at that time. I sit here trying to be a strong person, but I know she had to be the strongest of them all.