That child over there in the corner rocking back in forth. That child in Target sitting in the buggy shaking their head back and forth. That child at the party sitting in mommy's lap hanging upside down. That child that doesn't smile at you or closes their eyes when you talk to them. Don't judge them. Or their parents.
That child may look normal on the outside, but there may be so many things going on inside their little head that you will never know.
I will admit, I was that person. I still am, but now I have a different mind set.
Don't say anything. I'm sure the parents have heard it all. Don't stare. I'm sure the parents have seen every look possible.
LittleK is that child. Those are her coping mechanisms. Those are the ways she deals with extreme situations. They may not be an extreme situation to you or me, but to a child who may have Sensory Processing Disorder those tiny little changes in routine can throw them for a loop.
We have not gotten any condemning words or mean stares, but I have a feeling that as LittleK gets older they will come.
6 comments:
She's beautiful! I have an autistic cousin so I never judge other children because you just never know what's going on.
She's precious! I completely agree. When a child is having a meltdown, we can't possibly know what's going on. I find the best response (if any) is to simply smile at the mom and let her know that it was your child having a meltdown last week. :)
Isn't it so easy to judge from the outside of a situation. I need to remind myself to not judge and also to not take others judgements of me to heart when they don't know the situation!:)
Stopping by from ourlifeonabudget.blogspot.com
I am that mother, too. My 7 year old son has global developmental delays that make him more like a 3 year old. The looks, the comments, the assumptions ... they can be hard to take. ((Hugs))
Thank you for this! My daughter has SPD as well. Before I had kids I was always the one that was judging the parents of the kids that weren't still and quiet in the restaurant, etc. It makes me want to run and apologize to each and every parent I may have given that look to. Now I'm the one getting the looks and the judgments and it's not fun.
Thanks for this reminder. this posted is beautifully spoken!
Cathy
www.threekidsandafish.com
Post a Comment