Monday, March 5, 2012

My Challenge to You

I want to play, but I don't always know how, let me tag along, so that I can learn or enjoy in my own way

I know when you act strange and uncomfortable around me, even if I can't express that

I am a kid, just like you

I want to have a friend, and will probably be the best friend you've ever had (if you give me a chance)

My little brother drives me crazy

I love to build tents out of sheets and catch lighting bugs

If you gave me a chance your friends would to

I love pizza

I try to get my Mom and Dad to let me stay up later, watch t.v. on a school night, or eat junk before dinner

I don't like being treated like a baby even if you think I act like one

Do you talk to your kids about special needs kids ? Do you know that if your kids are around children with special needs they will not be afraid of the unknown ? They are watching you, do you treat special needs kids differently, do you talk to them like babies, do you correct them when they do wrong like you do other kids that are around, do you talk to the child directly or talk to there parents like they are not in the room. Do you know that 1 in 150 kids have autism ? Did you know that these kids are going to be adults in the adult world with your adult children ? Did you know that these adults may not have parents capable of taking care of them in there old age ? Have you realized that your children are one day going to be adults in a huge population of other adults with autism and eventually will be the adults shaping this world for these adults who no longer have parents to take care of them. Will your adult children, go back to institutionalizing  people they don't understand, or will your adult child be the one paving a new path, conforming this world to fit what is happening in this world, instead of not realizing that these adults can be contributing members of society, if society would be raised with more awareness and less fear.
 I am going to challenge you to stop and really think about how you teach your children to treat other children who may be seem different or hard to understand, how you teach your children not only in words but in example. Do I think that you would ever teach your children to be intentionally mean or hurtful ,no absolutely not. Do I think that by example allot of parents unintentionally teach there children to tip toe around and not stare, instead if walking firmly beside and asking questions about what they don't understand . Yes I do. I really believe that people don't want to be mean to people who are "different" but I don't think people always are taught the correct way to be kind. Do unto others applies to all others, my son, your neighbor, the boy in your Sunday school class, and the man at the grocery store . Please rethink.


I am linking up with.......

http://www.raisingmightyarrows.com/ 


2 comments:

  1. thank you for this post. I talk to my kids about this many many times..our common humanity with every human being ....

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for talking to your children, and teaching them. That is a gift you are giving them to help them for the rest of there lives. Please keep talking to them, and also encourage them to reach out to a child in your community, who may have some sort of handicap or special ability,ask them to play or help with something, that person might not be the only one to gain a good friend .

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