I’m of two minds about having more people read my stuff because when you realize there’s “someone out there” the writer has tendency to write either to offend or not to offend.
I was born into an Irish Catholic clan, the McLaughlin's. My father, a Clayton, married into it. One of the McLaughlin women, Aunt Mary, had about ten children. Half of them did not make it to their forties. Lots of mental health issues, retardation, poor diet. Uncle John was a working alcoholic. We had two of them. Big families were the norm, as Catholics who did not use birth control. there were two Downs Syndrome babies, one child who was 'odd,' and put in a 'home.' He was probably autistic, but in the early fifties I don't believe they had a term for that yet. One of my brothers was retarded. He recently died at the age of 68.
Growing up, there were always what we now call 'special needs' children. We were a crude lot and so they were called a lot of things and 'special' wasn't one of them. But, they were generally treated kindly, if you believe, as we used to chant as children, "Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me."
I’m willing to guess Jackie had Placenta Abruptia which is due to smoking. My hubby’s mother was a heavy smoker and lost two full term babies before my hubby was born. She had Placenta Abruptia. Hubby was a scheduled C section. This was in 1961.
I really don't know. All of the articles basically say that she developed labor pains and had to be helicoptered to a nearby airbase where a c-section was performed.
Jackie had already delivered one stillbirth and had a miscarriage, so three of their children were lost.
I was born into an Irish Catholic clan, the McLaughlin's. My father, a Clayton, married into it. One of the McLaughlin women, Aunt Mary, had about ten children. Half of them did not make it to their forties. Lots of mental health issues, retardation, poor diet. Uncle John was a working alcoholic. We had two of them. Big families were the norm, as Catholics who did not use birth control. there were two Downs Syndrome babies, one child who was 'odd,' and put in a 'home.' He was probably autistic, but in the early fifties I don't believe they had a term for that yet. One of my brothers was retarded. He recently died at the age of 68.
Growing up, there were always what we now call 'special needs' children. We were a crude lot and so they were called a lot of things and 'special' wasn't one of them. But, they were generally treated kindly, if you believe, as we used to chant as children, "Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me."
Your piece is very evocative. Thank you for this.
I’m willing to guess Jackie had Placenta Abruptia which is due to smoking. My hubby’s mother was a heavy smoker and lost two full term babies before my hubby was born. She had Placenta Abruptia. Hubby was a scheduled C section. This was in 1961.
I really don't know. All of the articles basically say that she developed labor pains and had to be helicoptered to a nearby airbase where a c-section was performed.
Jackie had already delivered one stillbirth and had a miscarriage, so three of their children were lost.
Tragic.
You made a great point about keeping their loss hush hush. Apparently, there was a Kennedy who had a lobotomy. Joseph’s daughter, Rosemary.
That's the year I was born