A LITTLE
extra “
I
’m a stay-at-home mum of three children, one with a little extra,” Aoife Burns says of her life, which likely echoes that of many Edinburgh families. Irish-born Aoife and her Edinburgh husband have three children; Dillon is 7, Ciara is 5, and Hugo is 1. What makes their story different, however, is that the “extra” refers to a copy of chromosome 21; Ciara has Down Syndrome. Aoife, who has become a bit of an Instagram star with over 1000 followers (@ edinburghmumma), has been open with her family’s story since Ciara’s birth. “I think being open and honest is an important first step in how we can change the way we discuss and perceive additional needs and disability,” she says. “I find people are happy to take my lead. Once I open that
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conversation by talking about my daughter they will ask questions that they maybe wouldn’t have felt comfortable asking otherwise.”
THIS GIRL CAN AND THIS GIRL WILL So how do they make it work? Like everyone’s, mornings are hectic; “we tend to use the ‘divide and conquer’ tactic,” Aoife says, citing superorganisation as the key: school bags ready at the front door, uniforms and outfits laid out the night before. “I’ve learned that my children tend to go backwards in the morning and are easily distracted so at that time of day the less I expect
from them the better. Team work makes the dream work.” Like many parents, Aoife finds it challenging to spend quality time with all of her children every day, but she’s sensible about it. “I realise that it’s normal for siblings to have to share their parents,” she says, though things are easing a bit now that the baby is older. Aoife even says that adding a third child was easier than the first two. “I have trusted my own instincts as a mother more and felt like I knew the ropes well enough to let myself enjoy the experience and let go of the anxiety I had first time round.” Of course the family’s challenges extend to Ciara’s condition, but Aoife has created a mantra of sorts that she often shares on social media alongside stories of Ciara’s
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