Growing up, I never had anyone explain to me, why there were disabled people in our world (at that time, it was known as handicapped). Then again, growing up, in my neighbourhood, I was in a way, fortunate enough to play with kids who had a mentally and physically challenged aunt. Every time I see her, she’d be in her wheelchair, in her corner, just being her. Aunty Maggie. I always greeted her..because everyone in her family treated like she was normal. Just only that she needed help with feeds, loo breaks, baths. So..to me, being disabled wasn’t like you were being ostracized. Of course, I was a kid then, far from understanding the adult world.
Thanks to a wakeup call recently, I went searching online for some resources as to how my kids can learn form individuals with exceptionalities. I wanted a way for them to understand no matter how different we look on the outside, on the inside we are all the same.
We still hurt. We still feel happiness. We enjoy hugs. We get sad, sometimes.
But, guess what? I couldn’t find one article online that gave practical tips on how to handle this situation. I then turned to one blogger, Daphne Ling, whom I had hoped would help me. She is a very special person, in a sense, her heart is so big, I don’t know how her tiny body can hold it. She has worked with many children with special needs and I can only tell you in plain words, that she is a real rock.
She was sick with the cold and studying hard for her exams..and yet, she decided to help this ol’ Aunty out. I am now, so grateful to her for allowing me to share this with you.
She told me, to keep it simple and analogise. We all have to put in a way where kids under 5 will understand. But I think this also applies to kids under 10. The easiest way? To use TV characters. She used Scooby-Doo, but I think my kids won’t know who Scooby-Doo is….heh..
So, I used In the Night Garden…where there are 3 main characters, remarkably (and quite hideously) different from each other. Of course, you can also use Sesame Street characters..because they are seriously different (and oh-so-cute) monsters!
So, both No.2 and I, sat down for our before bedtime chat, and I asked him about about those characters ~ Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka. How they are so different, but there were times when they felt angry, sad, happy, frustrated. But no matter how they looked outside, they still loved each other and knew that they had the same types of feelings.
No.2 looked at me, and nodded his head. He kinda knew what I was referring to. We talked somemore about the lil boy (that he pointed to)..and I asked him if he would say “Hi” to him, if we met him again. He shook his head and said, “No”. “Why?”, I asked. “Because…he is very shy”, he said, wisely.
Hah…I think he’s the shy one. Kids have a funny way of disguising their feelings.
But at the end of the day… I think one way to reduce this ‘fear’ is to meet with kids with exceptionalities, on a regular basis. I hope to ‘bump’ into this mom soon..and strike up a conversation/playdate soon.
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