10/11/2026
Something occurred to me tonight that honestly stopped me in my tracks.
I’m deaf in my left ear and hard of hearing in my right, and because I’ve been hard of hearing since childhood, this has always just been normal life to me.
What I never really recognized was how much the people who love me—especially my children—have adapted their lives around my hearing loss.
They are CODA.
My kids learned early that yelling “MOM!” from another room was pretty much a waste of time. 😂
They came and found me.
They made sure I was looking before they spoke.
They learned which side of me to stand on
They learned talking while walking away was pointless, and that sometimes when I said “What?” they just needed to give my brain three more seconds to catch up.
But what really got me was realizing that my children have also been my interpreters for years without any of us calling it that.
They've repeated what someone said, filled in things I missed, told me when someone was talking to me, answered when I couldn't hear, and helped me navigate conversations in ways that became so automatic I didn't even recognize they were doing it.
And that realization makes me a little emotional.😪
So to my children especially: thank you. ❤️ I'm sorry I didn't recognize all the little ways you've been my ears over the years.
And then there’s my husband, who has spent more than 30 years repeating conversations, filling in what I missed, telling me what someone across the room said, and occasionally serving as my own personal closed-captioning service. 😂 He deserves a thank-you too.
Although I feel slightly less guilty about him. He knew what he was getting into. 💗🤣
And to my family, friends, coworkers, clients, and everyone I've worked with who has repeated themselves, faced me when speaking, gotten my attention first, or quietly helped me when I missed something—thank you for adapting without ever making me feel like a burden.
I may not have realized all these years just how much the people around me were doing to help me hear the world.
But I see it now. And I appreciate you more than you know. ❤️
Also, to my children: I'm still not accepting “I told you that already” as evidence.
There needs to be a reliable hearing witness. 😂❤️
