I know I have blogged before about the everyone having an opinion thing but here we go again!
Yesterday I had to go for a hospital appointment, the clinic was SOOOO brightly lit with the artificial lighting, and Charlie had had a particularly bad night which was only ever going to equate to him not being in a great mood ! when we got there we went and sat in the waiting room where he instantly started kicking off, flinging his head back trying to tip the pushchair, trying to headbutt me, the table , anything/anyone else within a close proximity ! I proceeded to ignore him until it got to the point he managed to start banging it on the hard bit of the pram and took him out and sat him on my knee to a choir of tuts coming from 2 older "ladies" in the waiting room, I reckon they were 60+ at least. He continued for a good 15 minutes of high pitched screaming and lashing out because I wouldn't let him bang his head during which time not only did these two people sit constantly staring , shaking their heads in disgust , but having to listen to them actually comment on how useless I was at controlling my own child.
Charlie isn't like most children, he does have extra care needs and he does have episodes where by to an onlooker he may look like he is doing an impression of a child possessed I can understand that I am human too ! but just because he doesn't have an arm , or leg missing , because his disabilities aren't so obvious then people don't stop to think for even half a second that their might be more to it and maybe he does have problems which are contributing to this. How dare they sit in judgement over me and comment on my bad parenting when they don't know anything about Charlie OR me ! I have had SO many times of being stared at and given "the looks" because of the way he reacts in new places or situations he isn't comfortable in and normally I can just ignore it because I KNOW that he can't help it, but I will be honest and admit these 2 women REALLY got to me, how on earth I didn't burst into tears I will never know I felt SO bad , not for me but for Charlie and knowing that he has to go through life facing people like that at every corner is heartbreaking. He deserves better. Maybe I should get a neon sign for his pram saying >>> I HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS DEAL WITH IT !!!! <<<<
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