Hall of shame

If you take your child to see "March of the Penguins," the heartwarming nature documentary that's been a surprise hit of the summer, make sure he or she doesn't laugh too loud -- management might show you the door. That's what happened to a New York family when their 7-year-old son, who has autism and cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, laughed in a way that apparently disturbed some of his fellow moviegoers. The theater manager said the boy had to leave, even when the parents said they'd try to help him laugh less loudly. Exactly how quiet does a child at a midday showing of a G-rated film have to be? And does that rule apply to all kids, or just the ones in wheelchairs? ... Here's a fun item for back-to-school: A Napoleon Dynamite pen that says, "You guys are retarded." Isn't that just something you want your children's classmates to be guffawing over? I haven't seen the movie, so I can't say if the line was offensive in context. But you take it out of context, put it on a pen, place it in Target stores and advertise it for back-to-school, and it's really hard to see how nobody at any step in the marketing process said, "Hey, is that a word we want to put in bookbags nationwide?" If you find this disturbing, check this post in the Parenting Special Needs forum for some ideas on what to do. ... A more positive message for kids with disabilities can be found on the CanDo! Kids site. The site's Ability Survey is #2 on today's list of Five Fun Things to Do, along with butterflies, different roads, and bad test answers.