We didn't speak to him. We didn't even make eye contact.
But, to the man in the park... Thank You!
I was lying on the mat, which is a pretty typical thing for me to do, at the park.
I always have a go on a swing and sometimes go down the slide or try something else. And then, I lie on the mat and enjoy being outside.
I kick and move around.
Some times, kids don't understand that.
Sometimes, kids stand and stare.
And stare.
We know that it's because they don't understand about me. We get it, but we don't like it.
What usually happens, is this: We let them look for a little while, then hope they run off and play. They usually do.
If they don't, we sometimes ask them to go and play.
Well, this one time... the kids stayed and stared and stared and stared.
We asked them to go play. They stared.
We asked them to go play. They stared.
Their parents were sitting just behind us, and the kids were less than two metres from us, staring. We asked them to go play... but they kept staring.
And then, the man in the park noticed.
He didn't look at us. He didn't speak to us.
He spoke to the kids. He asked them to go play.
And they did.
They stopped staring and we could go back to enjoying the day.
To the man in the park... Thank you.
To the parents of kids who are curious about me... Please don't let them stand so close and just stare at me. Encourage them to ask questions. Or, lead them away and have a quiet chat with them. Tell them staring is not very friendly and that people don't like it.
Tell them my brain got hurt when I was little and that I love the park, but I can't run around the way they can. Tell them I can understand them, if they want to say hi, but that I might not have the words to chat with them.
Tell them I'm strong and determined.
But please, don't let them stare.
Something to Say But No Words to Say It
And Then, They Whispered about Me
Cerebral Palsy Doesn’t Stop Me Understanding Stuff
You Look Funny
Dexter's 2013
Dexter's First Month
Dexter's Vision
Dexter's Cerebral Palsy
Dexter's Cancer
Who is Dexter?
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