How would you handle an almost 5 year old laughing at someone's disability,?
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Anonymous
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Was out shopping with DD today. I was looking down for a second and heard her giggling. I ask her what she was laughing about and simultaneously lift my head up and see that she was laughing at a woman who was having trouble walking.
I'm certain that the woman knee she was laughing at her while she walked passed. I was mortified and I literally froze. I talked to DD about it on the way home and I don't think she was being mean spirited. She later asked why she was walking like a penguin. I explained that she was walking differently because her legs didn't work. And it's not okay to laugh at people doing something differently. She was upset that she probably hurt the woman's feelings. And wanted to say sorry. I thought she knew not to do this. Her dad and I have worked hard to teach kindness and give her diverse experiences So I'm really taken aback that she acted this way. I wonder if I should have had her apologize at the store and I hate that I froze How do I prevent this happening again. |
Anonymous
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You should have appologized for her.
Teach more lessons on diversity and different bodies. And just generally it's nice to laugh WITH someone, not nice to laugh AT someone |
Anonymous
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She’s 4. You seriously thought she knew not to do this??? Sorry to burst your awesome parenting bubble, but…SHE’S FOUR. She saw someone walking differently. It amused her. You’re acting as if she knew the woman was disabled.
Relax. |
Anonymous
| She’s 4. Let it go. Explaining it to her was the appropriate response. |
Anonymous
Yes. I'm surprised because we have been doing what op said about teaching different types of diversity and bodied, and kindness. |
Anonymous
This is a perfect example of how when you only talk this game, it doesn’t work. The talking doesn’t matter it you don’t have any diverse friends. |
Anonymous
No, this is a perfect example of a 4 year old with no life experience not recognizing that someone was disabled. Which is ok, because the kid is FOUR. |
Anonymous
| She may have thought the woman was doing it on purpose. Or just not understood what she was seeing. She has no life experience. |
Anonymous
| I’d have shushed my kid immediately, and told the woman I was so sorry about my child, and then told my kid once we were in private about people with disabilities and how hurtful laughing, pointing, imitating, etc can be. |
Anonymous
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She’s 4. She saw something unexpected and she laughed. She doesn’t understand disability. She’s 4!
You did the right thing to talk to her about it, of course. Next time, though, the better talking point is “her legs work differently.” Not “her legs don’t work.” The woman with a disability isn’t broken. She’s different. And we don’t laugh at difference. |
Anonymous
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It's okay. She is 4 and learning.
What your story tells me is that everyone that your child interacts with regularly is able-bodied. Try to widen her circle a little, starting with books. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
This. Check out This Little Miggy on Instagram for resources. |
Anonymous
I have two disabled friends who would disagree with the 'differently abled' idea. Being deaf does not get you some other sense instead. She lives a full life but being deaf is an actual disability. So is needing a wheelchair. Life is harder..it is not like having curly hair vs straight. |
Anonymous
Tell me your circle is not diverse, without telling me your circle is not diverse. It’s cool, though - keep talking to your kids. But we all know that kids don’t do what you SAY - they do what you DO. |