"The question is not what you look at, but what you see." - Henry David Thoreau
How Parents Can Talk To Kids About Ones With Special Needs.
"As the parent of a child with a disability, I know that children often stare or gape at kids who have special needs. Sometimes, they make comments. They are kids: They're curious. They often don't know any better. It's possible they have never met a child with special needs. Or their parents have never spoken with them about kids with special needs.
If I'd never had a kid with special needs, I probably wouldn't have thought to talk to mine about kids with disabilities. But I did have a child with special needs. And like many parents of kids with disabilities, I am painfully aware of the fact that other kids are sometimes wary of my child, sometimes afraid of him and sometimes disgusted by him. I am glad to help explain my child and encourage connections, but it would be great if it came from you. It's not that hard.
It's ideal when conversations like this can happen organically—say, because your child has met a kid with special needs or seen one at the park or somewhere else. Otherwise, you can bring it up on your own—the earlier, the better." [read more]
If I'd never had a kid with special needs, I probably wouldn't have thought to talk to mine about kids with disabilities. But I did have a child with special needs. And like many parents of kids with disabilities, I am painfully aware of the fact that other kids are sometimes wary of my child, sometimes afraid of him and sometimes disgusted by him. I am glad to help explain my child and encourage connections, but it would be great if it came from you. It's not that hard.
It's ideal when conversations like this can happen organically—say, because your child has met a kid with special needs or seen one at the park or somewhere else. Otherwise, you can bring it up on your own—the earlier, the better." [read more]
Reading Corner
Title: See The Ocean
By: Estelle Condra
Ages: 5-8
Nellie loves her family's annual trip over the Black Mountains to their beach house. Every year her two brothers compete to see who will first see the ocean through the mountain passes. Illustrated in softly flowing colors, this is the story of a little girl who sees the beauty of the world, not with her eyes, but with her mind and her heart. - Publishers
By: Estelle Condra
Ages: 5-8
Nellie loves her family's annual trip over the Black Mountains to their beach house. Every year her two brothers compete to see who will first see the ocean through the mountain passes. Illustrated in softly flowing colors, this is the story of a little girl who sees the beauty of the world, not with her eyes, but with her mind and her heart. - Publishers
Recommended by Cubs Editors
Be the Change
How about using games as a way of experiencing differences. One idea could be that you could blindfold your child for 10 mins and have him find his way through his usual room. Have a conversation about this experience after the 10 mins of play. You would be amazed at how quickly they'd be able to understand the difficulties of the children who are differently abled.
