Re: Dwarfs (to Liz)

[Guest guest]

I have to brag. 1021 is my gorgeous achondroplasic

daughter! We have had many conversations about this topic. We

decided that there is 'normal staring' and 'mean staring'. It is

human nature to stare at someone or something that is different,

although we do have to teach or kids not to point and laugh and make

rude comments at the top of their lungs! lol However, any noticably

handicapped person understands that children are not born knowing

these things and they will need to be taught. The important thing is

the way the parent handles it.

Conny, 's great-aunt

> dear Liz,

> We had the exact same situation!!! saw a dwarf in the grocery

> store and commented that she was only as big as a kid! He started

to

> laugh (later I too gave him the talk about not laughing at

> people)...But then he said the comment that blew me away: " well, I

> guess she just never took shots when she was a little kid " . So

now,

> he is attributing short people to people who don't never took shots

> (the GHT). I have to think about that one. On the one hand, I

love

> the fact that he can look at the GHT very logically, as just a

> treatment...I also think it is motivating for him to understand why

> he takes GHT. But, we have never talked about height as the reason

> for taking GHT. We have always talked about muscle strength, bone

> strenghth, stamina, health, etc....

>

> The other big lesson learned for me, is that if my son, raised in

a

> household where we constantly talk about no teasing rules, where we

> do not tolerate making fun of people, etc....well, if he laughs at

> someone small, I cannot be too harsh when others make comments. I

> think it is human nature to think things that are different are

> strange. Humans have a genetic and evolutionary need to group by

> similarities. Therefore it is instinctual to notice differences.

> The key is to not be mean and rude, of course!

>

> Katy