Many parents deal with many emotions, including inadequacy, guilt, fear, and frustration. They often spend much time visiting doctor's offices, clinics and professionals in trying to equip the child so he/she can fit in the hearing world. Additionally, they have to make hard decisions about the child's education.

Like many homes with a special needs child, relationships within the home are often strained. Parents may communicate less with each other. Siblings may resent the deaf child for a variety of reasons. The deaf child may be frustrated with the lack of adequate communication within the home.In the midst of all this, somehow they are to raise their deaf child to love Jesus and commit his/her life to Him, as if training up a child to love God in the best of circumstances isn't challenging enough. We all need to be sensitive to the needs of such families in our churches and do what we can to share the love of Jesus with them.Often, when members are near deaf children they experience feelings of inadequacy and awkwardness due to the inability to communicate. Also, Deaf children often appear to be unruly and problematic, thus many shy away from what seems to be a difficult situation. We must work to overcome these fears and take notice of how much of a blessing a Deaf child really is. One way to do so is to look through their eyes. Deaf children see the world much differently than hearing children and they do take notice of those who demonstrate God's love to them.Generally, parents or other family members provide all of the interaction the child receives in the church setting, including teaching and interpreting. Consider ways to help alleviate the family's burden so the family is provided with relief and the child develops relationships with others in the church.

One thing to always keep in mind is that young CODAs are kids and we need to let them remain kids. Do not expect them (or siblings of Deaf children, for that matter) to interpret. Too many find these kids to be convenient interpreters, but remember, CODAs are not on call at all times to serve as such.

Some CODAs are embarrassed of their Deaf parents because they are different. As they try to fit into the hearing world, they can see that their parents do not always follow its norms. This may lead to feelings of awkwardness and embarrassment. Plus, adults and peers frequently ask them questions about their parents; some of these questions are unintentionally demeaning. These children and youth may not necessarily want to be singled out as being a CODA and we need to be mindful of that. We need to avoid adding to the child's stress of living in between worlds. Treat CODAs as if they were any other child. They want to be themselves, not just a Deaf person's child, a ready-made interpreter, or an ASL instructor.Another thing to note is that Deaf people rely on their eyes extensively to take in information. Since they keep their eyes focused on the interpreter or Deaf speaker, they may not always know what their children are doing. If they keep an eye on their children, they miss much of what is being said. Often, Deaf parents end up feeling self-conscious about their children's behavior. Discuss some options and ideas with the Deaf parents, such as having someone hearing sit with them during services.We need to embrace the uniqueness of Deaf families and learn how we can improve our ministry to them. There is something for every member to do.