Maybe it was the party you threw for your child that no one attended. Or the one your child went to and wreaked havoc. Maybe it was the way the other moms looked at you and whispered. Or the way all the gifts were far beyond your child's developmental interest. If you have a child with special needs, chances are you've been to birthday parties that made you want to weep.
For me, I think the worst came right after my son made the leap from special-ed pre-K to a full-day self-contained class. I was thrilled when he got the invitation, but we weren't at the bowling party very long before it became clear that his classmates were older and way ahead of him socially. The other moms were clearly not pleased to have their sons associating with a kid who still needed so much maternal intervention, and while they were civil enough -- in that "No offense, but your kid doesn't belong in a class with my kid" sort of way -- there was a lot of whispering and plotting and grumbling going on. There followed much school unpleasantness that might never have happened if I hadn't given all of them such a good long look at my boy. It was the rejection that kept on rejecting.
Do you have a terrible tale to tell? I've set up a page to share all our bad birthday party stories -- stop by and vent a little. And while we're on the subject of birthdays, I've also got a list of quick places to start looking for the perfect gift for your unique kid.
This post is my contribution to the All About Parenting blog carnival on birthdays, to be posted March 1 on About.com Young Adults.
Read more: Special Needs News | Site of the Day | Special-Needs Kids and Special Occasions
Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Terri, sad to know what happened to your child and I can relate to your feelings. I’ve two elder sisters who have difficulties in hearing and speaking. They’ve encountered the similar situations like your child when they were young. Something I learn from them is (although they didn’t speak it out) — we can’t ask people to be more empathetic, but we must learn to face it, accept it, deal with it and let it go. They move on and live happily like anyone else. I pray for your child, you and your family to be well and happy too.