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Member
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Spokane Valley, Wa
Posts: 473
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Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Spokane Valley, Wa
Posts: 473
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No, the kids themselves certainly aren't the issue... it's the parents. Left to themselves, kids will walk up to a person in a chair and bluntly ask them "what's wrong?". I think that kind of openess is a wonderful thing, once you get past the initial shock of how "rude" the question sounds at first.
I had a friend in a wheelchair due to a motorcycle accident. He was great with kids, very patient in explaining what had happened and what life was like for him. He'd step in when a parent tried to shush their kid and try to stop them from asking Drake anything. He'd simply say "No, that's ok. It's important for them to learn, and important for me to explain."
The coolest thing he ever did was give my sons a spare chair to try for a few days. He had done this before, with other kids. The only condition was that they had to STAY in the chair when they wanted to do something... they couldn't just jump up and go about their business. They had to truly see, if only for an hour or two at a time, what it was like. It was quite an eye-opener for them, and gave them new respect for the hassles the disabled go through on a daily basis. Little did we know that within a year, they would need that knowledge (tho not to that extent, thank you God) to deal with their own mother.
I have to tell you all, this forum has been very good for me. I had NO idea how withdrawn I had become, how depressed. But when I read some of these posts, and remember people from my past that I should never have forgotten in the first place... well, it does something good for my heart. Thanks everyone 
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There are only two types of people in this world... those who bring you peace and those who don't.
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