Well, actually... they whispered.
We went to the park, to tire out my noisy sister.
Mum and I had been on the swings together, and she had helped me have fun on the big slide. After we had some fun, Mum put me back in my wheelchair pram. It was time for her to have some fun with The Noisy One. My pram was at the edge of the park. Mum and my noisy sister were on the swings. There was another swing, between me and Mum.
Some ladies were there. They were having fun at the park, too.
They talked about me: "Do you know Dexter?"
And then, standing between Mum and I, they started whispering.
We don't know what they said.
Maybe, they were talking about how much fun I had been having, and how well I was doing at holding my head up. Maybe, they were talking about my cool bike, and the trips to the park I make on it. Maybe, they were talking about my surfing or my efforts at walking.
We know they talked about my preschool, because we heard that word.
Maybe, they were talking about how cool I looked, as a ninja turtle, or they might have been talking about my cool preschool paintings.
We're not sure what they were talking about, because they started whispering.
We were right there.
They didn't say hello.
They didn't smile.
They didn't even look at Mum.
We get looked at, pointed at and talked about, all the time.
Every day.
We're 'kinda' getting used to that... a little bit.
But the whispering? The whispering hurt.
We left the park not much after they started their whispering.
And, when we left, Mum had a little tear in her eye.
Don't stare... Just care.
The lady and the man knew me from preschool. They have a child who goes to the same preschool.
My preschool friend's Mum recognised us. She told her husband that I was there.
Mum didn't know them, and I don't have the words to tell her. But, Mum recognised the other mum, as soon as she smiled. The man turned around, and gave Mum a big smile. And then, he called me a preschool friend and smiled, again.
That made Mum smile.
Thank you for saying hi.
A hello and a smile is always nicer than a whisper.
Whispers hurt.
#RaisingAwareness #CerebralPalsy