people

I am the kind of person that always thinks the best of people.  I find myself making excuses for why they might have acted in a not nice way.  But sometimes I come across someone that rubs me the wrong way.  After having a child with Down syndrome, those not so understanding ones really pop out at you.

When I pick monkey bear up, a group of adults mill about waiting for the doors to be unlocked.  I usually have rara in my arms and tend to keep to myself.  There is a grandmother there.  English is not her first language and she is a bit pushy. When she deems the weather is cold, she will come over and pull rara's sleeve over her fingers saying, "Oh she cold." The second time I met her, she told me what college all her kids had gone to and what amazing jobs they all had.

The other day was a half day and my buddy had no preschool so he came with me for parent pick up.  My buddy approached this grandmother and started smiling and chatting with her.  She asked me how old he was.  Then she said, with a very concerned look on her face, "He no talk?"  "No, not yet," with a smile on my face.  Then she said, "He born that way?"  I wasn't quite sure how to respond, but I really wanted the conversation to end so I just said, "Yes."  Ordinarily I would have mentioned the words Down syndrome and very positively said he will talk some day.  But with her, I just got the feeling it wouldn't matter.

On the flip side of that are the gems of people who are perfect around my buddy.  There is a receptionist at our doctor's office - we seem to be there a lot so they know us by name.  My buddy loves her.  He goes right up to her window, stands on his tippy toes until she opens it and chats her up.  She just talks right back as if he is having a real conversation with her.  The smile he gets on his face could melt any cold heart out there.