Couple who are both BLIND open up about raising their kids without seeing

A couple who are both blind have openly shared how they are raising their two young children without seeing, explaining that they have created “non-visual ways” to “ensure their safety” – despite reactions from other parents who ‘ability to age’ questioned. .’

Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter, a 41-year-old writer from Omaha, Nebraska, lost her eyesight in her early 20s after contracting an undisclosed viral infection.

However, she has “adjusted and adapted” – and her disability hasn’t stopped her from fulfilling her dream of becoming a mother.

She married her husband, Ross Michael, 41, who is also blind in 2006, and the two have welcomed two sons over the years, named Declan (10) and Duncan (5).

And while it’s hard to take care of their boys without being able to see, the couple have come up with methods for keeping an eye on them — like putting bells on their ankles or using a kid’s harness.

Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter, a writer from Omaha, Nebraska, lost her eyesight in her early 20s after contracting an undisclosed viral infection.

She married her husband, Ross Michael, who is also blind in 2006, and the two have welcomed two sons over the years, named Declan (10) and Duncan (5).

“When we decided to start a family, the fact that we’re blind wasn’t a deterrent,” Bridgit explained in a recent essay for Insider.

The mother of two explained that she uses her hearing to make sure Declan and Duncan are safe, explaining that if she ever hears a ‘sound that’s out of place’ it can ‘alert’ her that something is wrong. is.

Every 10 minutes, she said she also does a “verbal and physical” checkup on her children.

Bridgit admitted that the boys are like ‘two cunning foxes’, and often they try to give them something tasty, because they know their parents can’t see them.

She added that they have to work even harder than normal parents, but said she doesn’t regret anything.

“Parenting is challenging. Parenting with disabilities is no exception and presents unique challenges,” she continues.

“We’ve never been able to sit back like other parents. Even now that they are older, I have two cunning foxes. They need supervision, and I can’t do it [that] visually.

And while taking care of their boys without being able to see has its issues, the couple have come up with methods for keeping an eye on them — like putting bells on their ankles.

Every 10 minutes she said she also does a ‘verbal and physical’ check on her children

Bridgit admitted that her children are like “two cunning foxes”, and often they try to give them something tasty, because they know their parents can’t see them. Declan is pictured

“But in the end this is all an inconvenience, not a struggle – and certainly not a life-destroying situation. A major inconvenience, of course, but it isn’t.’

According to the writer, her sons fully accept their disability.

‘My boys see me as their mother. My blindness is not startling or disturbing; I’m no different from her,’ she said.

But while her kids support her, Bridgit admitted that other parents are often judgmental — and some have even asked her if she’s fit to be a mother.

“What’s even more frustrating are the attitudes my husband and I face about non-visual parenting,” she continued.

“Like the woman across the street who tested my grandparents about our ability to parent. She noticed I was pregnant and wondered if she should call the authorities.

‘My boys see me as their mother. My blindness is not startling or disturbing; I’m no different from her,’ she said. Bridgit is seen with her husband, Ross

But while her kids support her, Bridgit admitted that other moms and dads are often judgmental — and some have even asked them if they’re fit to be parents.

“These mindsets are my obstacle. Dealing with this attitude every day is like pushing through quicksand,” she added. ‘I’m not broken. I want to be accepted as a mother’

Or the runner I passed while jogging. I stopped after a mile to sit for a few minutes and rub my pregnant belly. She came up to me and asked if someone like me should have a baby.

“Or the fellow mommy on the playground sneaking up on me. When I turned to say hello, she asked if my kids are safe.

“These mindsets are my struggle. These mindsets are my obstacle. Dealing with this attitude every day is like pushing through quicksand.’

She added that “regardless of how she behaves or presents,” she is seen as having “no agency,” urging others to treat people like her as equals.

‘I’m not broken. I’m not half human,” she concluded. ‘I want to enter a space and be accepted as a mother, wife and human being.

‘I don’t always want to cling to my freedom of choice with my fists and force others to see me as a whole person.

“This is the challenge of blind parenting in a world programmed to assume that seeing is the only way to exist.”