5 Things NOT to Say to a Special Needs Parent
Humans will forever amaze me.
Before I gave birth to my son, who just happened to be born with spina bifida, I wasn’t one talk to someone about their child’s anything, much less their disabilities. I’m not happy about that fact, but it is what it is. Part of it was I just wasn’t a “kid person” and the rest was I didn’t know what to say.
Now that I have my son I realize that not saying anything was a much better alternative than speaking out of turn, being insensitive, or asking rude questions. You would be shocked if you knew all the stories I’ve heard about people coming out the side of their mouth out of ignorance or lack of couth (“broughtupsy”). ย I regret my lack of interaction in past situations where I could’ve offered a kind word, but when you know better you do better …
… and you tell others, so here are 5 things you should never ever evah evAH EVAH say to a parent of a child with special needs. ย LEGGO!
1. I would have had an abortion
Yes, I’ve heard this more than once. Can you imagine? ย Someone was talking to me in the restroom when they shared that a family member has a 10 year old son with cerebral palsy, it’s tearing their family member’s marriage apart, and they would never have a child with a disability if they knew beforehand. They then tell me they aren’t as strong as I amย and they would’ve had an abortion. I just stood there staring at them. ย Once my mom called to relayย a similar story of someone. Someone told her if they were me they would have had an abortion and I had to talk my mom out of going back and ringing their neck. ย It’s not a compliment.ย Itย does not make meย feel like I amย strong, it makes meย feel like you are clueless andย insensitive enough to tell a parent who loves their child that, for all intents and purposes, you would have killed them. Not ok.
2.ย My child is spoiled.
This one grates me gears! ย My son can not walk and has to be carried around much more than other children. On top of that I’m a stay at home mom so he spends the majority of his time with me. He also has sensory issues with textures and sounds that cause him to freak out. ย OF COURSE he’s gonna be attached to me. Of course I’m gonna go help him if he’s toppling over, of course I’m gonna be extra attentive to him in social situations. ย Whenever someone has said this to me they get this face with the quickness >> 
ย <<. ย You have no clue what the experience is like so if you can’t say something nice then shhhhhhhhhhhh zip it.
Want to see the 3 other things never to say to a parent with a child with special needs?ย ย Check out this video:
Watch directly on Youtube | Help me meet my goal of 20K subscribers by end of year *thank you*
Special needs parents sound off, what foolishness so you wish people would stop saying to you?
Oh and don’t forget to check out my other VEDA (Vlog Every Day In August) videos.
Roshini Cope
Roshini Cope, aka Glamazini, is a life coach and video creator who gained a following for her natural hair tutorials, which evolved into authentic personal stories of healing with a consistent dash of humor. She is a black woman healing helping other black women heal, expand their self-awareness, reclaim their joy, and create the life they want. Work with Roshini ๐คโจ๐ค
3 Comments
BigTickles
Girl, I felt like fighting the air during this video.
The one comment that REALLY got under my skin concerning my son was…” I am fine with “the autism” but the behavior is unacceptable!” Let me tell you something, Jesus had to dispatch an army of angels around me after that comment. Instead of transforming into “no you didn’t” mode, I was eerily calm. It was like, yeah, let’s pick and choose what part of autism (or any disability) we want and send the rest back to lala land!
glamazini
I’ve heard a lot of that in the comments on YouTube, it’s so sad what people have to deal with due to ignorance. I really hope my video and blog post help educate others and soften their hearts.
TyaD
I can’t believe people say things like this! I hope that you educate them so that they don’t needlessly offend/discourage other people. I am not a mom but I’m also not a FOOL! Wow!