kylaleigh`s poll Show results | Hide results

nutnut (867.9 days ago)
i answered the later poll, but i hunted this one down bc i missed it yesterday and i wanted to add this little note. my daughter is delayed speech primarily, and children notice this. when explaining her situation i never ever tell them my daughter is special or delayed or has a problem. simply bc in life there are many many many differnces from physical, to mental to cultural, you name it, and her `delay` is only one difference. There was an episode of `Little Bill` involving the boy in the wheel chair and little bill over helping him. its a really good episode bc it explains how while he is different, it doesnt mean he cannot do things for himself. they go into saying how this boy has red hair, and this girl is good at making paper dolls, this one runs really fast, and this one can sing or whatever. (its been awhile so i dont remember exactly the things they were good at or what was different or the same about them lol) anyway, if you can hunt that episode down, let him watch it. its good and it makes sense, and its on the level of a 5 year old for sure. diversity tolerance acceptance respect understanding. it all comes in time with good parenting. like i said in the other poll. you did a good job by talking to him, not yelling at him. dont focus on the disabilty. it will make alot of things easier in the long run. one kid goes around telling his friends my daughter `has a speech problem` even before she opens her mouth to say hi. so kids automatically assume that she is not as smart as they are, or cant do what they do, which isnt the case. i had to tell him that its not appropriate to tell people that bc how would he feel if i went around and told all his friends he`s 8 and still cant tie his shoes or swim? so he stopped doing it.

california-mom (868.3 days ago)
I tell my kids God makes everyone exactly how he wants them. Sometimes theyre different and thats ok. Dont stare, point, ignore, and under no circumstance make them feel embarassed or ashamed.

ibaheir2dathrone (868.3 days ago)
I would have told him that God made her special just the way she is. I would tell him that `_____` was born special. She talks and looks, acts (fill in the blanks) the way she should and it`s normal for her. I would also let hime know that not only does it hurt her but her mommy and daddy too. (when he makes fun of her.) I would ask him if it feels good to be made fun of or laughed at? Also let him know that it would hurt you to see him upset because of teasing. Good for you, I`ve seen parents not care or act as if it`;s no big deal.

Str8 As (868.3 days ago)
I think kids are honest and say what they think. They don`t mean to be cruel, but they just don`t know any better. Being honest with him is the best way to go. As mentioned by Angie and I believe another posting, I wouldn`t go with the disability approach, but let him know we are all different. You did good by telling him that your family does not believe in making fun of others. It`s funny, not in a haha sort of way, but my sis and I were just talking about a girl we grew up with that had three fingers on both hand and three toes on both feet. Her entire family was this way; including the parents. Anyway, that was my first known encounter with someone who was `different`. I remember my mom talked to me about it. She said she just look different, but she is just like you and I. Long story short, we became friends (I defended her a lot from other kids), but she was one of the coolest people ever! Also, this is a really good post that has real substance! Love it!

♥ ħhlЄy ▫ ßєär ®♥ (868.4 days ago)
I agree with angie2008..i would have just repeated what she said :)))))

angie2008 (868.4 days ago)
i think this is a good poll by the way.

angie2008 (868.4 days ago)
I would tell my child that God makes all kinds of people that are all very different. I would say that some kids need to be in diapers longer because they have a hard time with that or are having a hard time with talking ect. Make sure that you tell him that it`s okay for people to be different than you. I wouldn`t just too much on the `she has a disability` thing because i wouldn`t want him to go around her and say something to hurt her or bother her parents. It`s the truth that will provide enough knowledge for a 5 year old. I work with adults with a disabilty and one of my coworkers son tells everyone he has a disability because he is color blind so he is like his mom`s clients. I think he knows too much for a 5 yr old.

My5Babies:) (868.4 days ago)
I just realized I didn`t really answer your question...Sorry!! Tell him that just as some people have brown hair and some have blonde hair, some people talk different or walk different than he does. Explain that some people are sick sometimes when they are born and so some things are harder for them than other babies/children. I would say that even though they are different they are just a special and nice as other children and they like having friends and other kids to play with too.

My5Babies:) (868.4 days ago)
My daughter is very petite for her age due to growth problems and malabsorbency issues. She can`t drink water because she cannot absorbe it. Last year she had milk at school in a thermos and a little boy in her class started taunting her and calling her a baby with a baby bottle and little baby hands and that she was so little and blah, blah, blah. To me, it is easier to teach your kid how to be nice and respectful to others than it to try to explain to my 6 year old why she has to be different than everyone else and why some of the kids are mean to her. My friend`s son is in a wheelchair and cannot do anything for himself. My kids have always been around him since they were born, so they are used to being around someone with disabilities and don`t stare at others or make fun of other people. I think you did a good job explaining to him how other people are sometimes different. He also needs to know that when you make fun of others, it will make that person cry and hurt on the inside, and no one likes that.

hillaryandmikesbaby (868.4 days ago)
good poll you never really see anything on here about teaching your children about people who are different than you. I`m not sure exactly what I would do in this situation, I would have to give it some deep though. I am interested to see how other mothers would deal with this.



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