My great aunt and uncle have lived a miserable life taking care of our severely retarded cousin. I wish more of the people who are "bringing down the hammer" would actually make arguments based on experience.

I have a cousin with severe mental retardation. He and his brother (a very successful orthodontist) are the only children to my aunt and uncle. They are both in their mid 40s. My almost to be 70 year old great aunt and uncle have raised my cousin Geoffrey for his entire life. My orthodontist cousin just cannot give time to raise Geoffrey, since he is a business owner and a professor at a dental school. Don't get on here and act like someone is an insufficient parent for being scared about a developmentally challenged child. My aunt and uncle have had the most stressful lives of any human being I've ever known. I've just lost my great aunt to a long time alcohol abuse and cigarette smoking. My uncle has been injured numerous times trying to give my cousin baths and changing his clothes. My aunt and uncle only got a few weeks out of their year to enjoy themselves when camps were open for special needs. We've finally put him into a home and my uncle can finally live his retired life (unfortunately without his wife now). He just can't do it anymore.