Mother-O-PediaMother-O-PediaMother-O-PediaMother-O-Pedia
  • Home
  • About Me
  • My Musings
  • Motherhood
  • Parenting
  • Do It Yourself (DIY)
  • Giveaways
  • Recipes
  • Guest Posting

Teaching Your Child To Appreciate A Different Child/Differently Abled Child

    Home Motherhood Teaching Your Child To Appreciate A Different Child/Differently Abled Child
    NextPrevious

    Teaching Your Child To Appreciate A Different Child/Differently Abled Child

    By Motheropedia | Motherhood, Parenting | 0 comment | 1 July, 2015 | 0

    Teaching Your Child To Appreciate A Different Child/A Differently Abled Child

    This has happened with me.

    I was at a playground with Ruhaan. I saw a mother with a child who was different. I would have loved to go over and say ‘hi’ but was not very sure how to do it. There were questions churning in my mind. What if I land up sounding rude? What if she doesn’t welcome my intrusion? So I smiled and engrossed myself with my child. I blew away a chance for my son and me to make new friends!! It left me wondering. Wondering how I can equip myself and my children  to handle such a situation. Wondering how I can teach my children to foremost accept and then enjoy their time with all children alike no matter how differently abled they are.

    All this until I chanced upon this article. This piece of writing has given me perspective. I hope we can all take back home something from it. I also look forward for any moms in similar situations to share their thoughts/ experiences.  This will equip all parents to teach our children how to handle these situations better. After all, there is no better time to start educating our children than now!

    P.S. I do hope I see them in the park again. Now we know what to do. 

    TO THE EMBARRASSED PARENT OF THE CHILD POINTING TO MY DAUGHTER. –Courtney Westlake

    As we enter the playground area, your child immediately points to mine, calling loudly “Mom, look at HER!” You quickly hush him, calling him to you to quietly reprimand him.

    You’re at the end of the same grocery store aisle when your child catches a glimpse at the baby in my cart and asks, “Why is that baby so red?” You practically put your hand over his mouth to stop as much of the question as you can while hurrying around the corner without looking back.

    Your children freeze, staring open-mouthed at my daughter at the library, and you get a rising panic in your eyes as you try to distract them to look anywhere but.

    I recognize all of this unfolding, nearly every day. I hear all of the questions, I glimpse all of the pointing out of the corner of my eye, I notice all of the whispered comments.

    I hear you, and I see you, and I feel it all, deep within my heart. And it makes it worse when you then try to “hide” it from me, from us.

    You’re embarrassed, and I understand that. But we’re both parents, trying to do our best, and we both love our kids fiercely. And when you try to hide these obvious conversations that are happening right in front of us, it feels like you’re hiding from our family. It feels like the small, insignificant gap between us that your child has noticed has now grown into a wide-spanning canyon that no one wants to cross.

    Here’s what I wish you would do.

    harlequin ichthyosis blessed by brenna

    I wish you would invite us into these conversations about us.

    I wish you would close that small gap by relating to us as you would to any other family on the playground, instead of making the gap bigger by treating us as unapproachable.

    When your child points and tells you to look, I wish you would respond clearly, “Yes, look at that pretty little girl. It looks like she’s having so much fun playing, just like you are!”

    When your child asks you, “Why is that baby so red?” or “Why does she look like that?” I wish you would answer honestly: “I’m not sure, but the way someone looks isn’t important. We all look different from each other, don’t we?”

    I wish you would encourage your child to say hi and to ask my kids’ names.

    I wish you would apologize without feeling ashamed if your child is offensive right in front of us: “I’m so sorry, we’re still learning how to ask questions respectfully.” It also goes a long way if you tack on: “Your daughter is so cute, how old is she?”

    And above all, I wish you would talk about differences more often. I wish you would read to your child about differences, and I wish you would positively and naturally converse about various kinds of differences, from wheelchairs to birthmarks, from Down syndrome to ichthyosis, from racial differences to wearing glasses. Ultimately, I hope that our children learn that if they have questions about someone’s appearance, they can ask you later, privately, so that they don’t hurt anyone’s feelings – because, after all, how we treat each other is much more important than how someone looks.

    harlequin ichthyosis the mighty

    So next time, I hope you don’t hide. I hope you invite us into your conversation. Instead of a steep divide that places our family on the other side with a “do not look at and do not talk to” sign, I’d rather be a positive opportunity for your child to learn how to respect and appreciate physical differences.

    Read more: http://themighty.com/2015/06/1to-the-embarrassed-parent-of-the-child-pointing-at-my-daughter/#ixzz3eFMiWrBF/

    http://www.blessedbybrenna.com/parents-what-i-wish-you-would-do/

     

    children, Complimenting, Differently Abled, kid, Parenting, Praise

    Motheropedia

    More posts by Motheropedia

    Related Post

    • Complimenting, achievement and self confidence

      5 Ways Of Complimenting A Child Right

      By Motheropedia | 0 comment

      We love our children. And we absolutely must brag about them; praise them.  But do we ever stop to ponder over the compliments that are flowing out of our mouths and how our kids perceiveRead more

    • Raising Resilient Kids

      How To Raise A Resilient Kid In A World Of Hurt And Pain

      By Motheropedia | 11 comments

      How To Raise A Resilient Child In A Hurtful World Disclaimer: This is my personal blog and all the views and thoughts expressed here are my own. The ketchup bottle is empty and baby can’tRead more

    • Dealing With Anxiety In Kids

      7 Parenting Tips for Raising Children with Anxiety

      By Motheropedia | 40 comments

      I’ve been dealing with my son waking up at night with tremors and panic attacks. At a recent wedding, my husband had to make an unforeseen exit with him because he couldn’t digest the noise. AsRead more

    • Kids Dealing With Anxiety Issues

      Kids Must Hug Or Kiss As A Mark Of Politeness?

      By Motheropedia | 18 comments

      Kids Must Hug Or Kiss As A Mark Of Politeness When a mom posted this about her daughter, I really wasn’t sure what to think about it except that it sounded like my son. imageRead more

    • Funniest Parenting Memes

      20 Funniest Parenting Memes

      By Motheropedia | 4 comments

      I’ve seen these insanely funny parenting memes across  the internet in bits and pieces. While all of them me have ensued a riot of laughter, it’s also made me realize that I’m the only oneRead more

    Leave a Comment

    Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    NextPrevious

    Search

    Follow Mother-O-Pedia

    Featured On

    featured-logo

    Blog Topics

    • Do It Yourself (DIY)
    • Giveaways
    • Guest Posting
    • Motherhood
    • My Musings
    • Parenting
    • Recipes
    • Reviews

    Instagram

    Load More...Follow on Instagram

    Recent Pins.

    Follow

    Tag Cloud

    Absentmindedness Activities Appreciate baby behaviour birthday activities calm child children Complimenting Craft Differently Abled DIY family father's day gift gift registry gifts hacks Imaginative impatient kid kids Kitchen Roll lazy marriage moms Mother's Day Motherhood Parenting Play potty training Praise Pretend recipes relationship responses review Self Esteem Sensory supermarket tips Toddler toddler activities toddlers

    Sponsors

    About Me

    Before I became a mom I had dedicated myself to being an Educator. As a teacher I always counselled parents on the battles that went on in their lives as mothers. Once a mother, these battles raged within me. Having said this, I also sensed that mothers around me are always in conflict within themselves.

    Categories

    • Do It Yourself (DIY)
    • Giveaways
    • Guest Posting
    • Motherhood
    • My Musings
    • Parenting
    • Recipes
    • Reviews

    Newsletter



    Social Icons

    • Home
    • About Me
    • My Musings
    • Motherhood
    • Parenting
    • Do It Yourself (DIY)
    • Giveaways
    • Recipes
    • Guest Posting
    Mother-O-Pedia