You see your special needs child not only as your child, but also as a loving and caring person. Unfortunately, not all people see things this way and some may act rather rude and negative around you and your child.
As much as you may not like it, it does happen. There are some very cruel and childish people who do nothing but spew negative remarks around you and your child. Instead of taking them out like yesterday’s garbage, try these helpful ways to deal with those small and insensitive individuals.
Stay Positive
Ever had one of those bullies in school that tried to make you mad or say negative things? Yes, I knew a few of them.
Stay away from saying negative or hurtful things – try being positive.
When you are speaking with that difficult person, try to complement them or say something nice about something you saw on TV, in the paper, etc. Saying positive things will take away their attention from making negative or rude comments.
For those people that decide to keep up their negative or sarcastic behavior, start looking for a way out of the situation. It is better to leave a negative situation than to listen to some obnoxious and insensitive person’s bad remarks.
Take a Detour
Sometimes it is better to just avoid a negative situation altogether.
If you know you are going to run into someone with a negative outlook, plan a detour around them. Now, I am not saying you should run away from the situation, but sometimes the best option is to avoid the conflict when possible.
Take a Stand
We all know there are times when you have no other choice but to stand your ground. When you have exhausted your other efforts, give that particular person your side of the conversation.
Now, I am not saying you need to be loud, mean or rude about it, but stand your ground and politely inform them how you feel and let them know they should take their negative comments somewhere else!
Unfortunately, there are people in the world that don’t see your special needs child as you do. They are sometimes rude and have nothing but negative things to say when around you. I know you would like to show them exactly how you feel about that, but try to use polite and effective techniques to teach those negative people how to grow up.
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#1 by Beth Carter on March 4, 2010 - 9:48 pm
This article is great! I am the mother of a former preemie who had to wear a helmet for plagiocephaly when he was an infant. I found that my job as a parent was to teach others about the issues my son had. I once had a man come up and knock on my son’s head! I had to politely explain to him that this was a baby. Granted this was not my initial gut reaction, but I had to be the adult. Sometimes I think when people are faced with a situation that makes them anxious they forget to stop and think about their actions. So, unfortunatley, in addition to dealing with the health issues of your child you also become the educator to the public.
#2 by George Passwater on March 9, 2010 - 9:14 am
Thank you Beth!
I am glad you enjoyed the article.
Wow! I wouldn’t have expected someone to do that either, but it was good you didn’t go with your initial gut reaction.
There needs to be more education of those without the responsibility of raising a child with health issues – we are trying to raise that awareness and educate others here on childrc.com. We do have to be the educators as well, but if we don’t do it, who will?
Thanks again for your comment and welcome to the site!