Originally Posted by Lasereth

My friend's sister has DS. I watched his sister nearly ruin his childhood. I watched the sister with DS totally ruin the older sister's childhood. Want to go out to eat with friends? Too bad, stay home with DS sister. Want to go shopping? Too bad, need to save money for meds for DS sister. Want to move out when you're 18? Too bad, stay at home working part-time so there's someone to watch the DS sister. Want to go out in public? Too bad, the DS sister can't act correctly in public. Need money? Ok, so get a job! Whoops, can't work but part-time because the DS sister needs 24/7 care. The DS sister is an adult now and has the mind of a 3-year old (not exaggerating).

DS can and will have a negative impact on a family regardless of love and affection for a sibling or child. I lived with this family multiple times and saw how the DS sister affected them.