I certainly felt that way when Beth and I were out today. We had to go to the store to buy some new bus tickets. While standing in line for the people in front of us to purchase all their lotto tickets, we were stared at, glanced at, and smiled at. Very few smiles though.
Beth wanted to buy some new CD's so we went into a local department store and as we were walking through the front doors, the people coming out stared at Beth. Then the employees were watching her. I've developed the habit of watching peoples eyes as they walk past. Might not be a good habit to have, considering.
I don't think they're trying to be rude. I think they are just curious. But I almost wish they would say Hi or stop and ask her name or... something. Anything. Anything but the constant stares. EVERYONE looks.
Do I look? When I see a person with a handicap, do I glance at them? Do other moms watch me when I watch their children? Maybe. I'm just curious about what your life is like. I'm sorry, I'm not wanting to be rude. Maybe I should learn to say Hi....
3 comments:
HEY CINDY! This is Melissa at The Higher Call with the special needs Sunday school class. Would you e-mail me at lineysmom@bellsouth.net? I would love to share what we do and how we do it at our church. For some reason my blog is not e-mailing me my comments to I just saw your comment today.
To answer your question... yes, I do look, and I smile and I speak to them or their families. I think that families appreciate that more than stares. My daughter wants to know what's wrong and I don't usually stop her. She's interested out of concern and so many times we go up together and I let her ask, "Why are you in that wheel chair?" We listen to the response and then my daughter always says, "I'll pray for you." AND SHE DOES! I'd rather her be informed than afraid and I'd rather them know that our looks are more out of concern than rudeness. Sometimes I have to stop her from asking questions, but I always encourage her to say hello. If it is a situation where I can share about our church and our ministry I try to tell parents about what we do and invite them to church. I just think it honors God to speak just like I would to anyone else. :)
Thank you for stopping by my blog! I LOVE visitors! Your family is beautiful! To answer your question, yes - I do feel like we are being watched a lot. For now, Justin is young and we get a lot of "oohs and ahhs" I know as he gets older that might change, and that makes me sad. I would smile, wave, and say hi to Beth if I saw her!
That's such a GREAT question. I know I'm guilty of not approaching folks, and I'm sure my curiosity is perceived as rude. I've always been so pleasantly surprised by the number people who approach me who also have some connection to a person with Down syndrome that has made an impact in their lives. Emily (above) is right about the fact that it's so much easier to approach the little kids rather than the adults. Not sure how to remedy that. :-( I'd love to meet Beth!
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