[blparent] The maid wants to go on strike!

[Jennifer Jackson]

Jo Elizabeth,

I think you have touched on a point here that is particular to being a blind
parent. When our children go out badly dressed people assume that it is
because those poor pitiful children have blind parents who can not provide
for them. Yes, we can all say that we should not care what other people
think, but that is nonsense. We, just like everyone else, are part of the
social contract and there are consequences to ignoring the standards of that
contract. It really is a big deal if the people in our child's school think
he is being neglected. Often these are consequences that a child is not
mature enough to understand or respond too. That being said, my pride is an
issue here too.

It may comfort you to know Jo Elizabeth that that torn clothing look seems
to be a thing. I recently had to explain to my son that the shirt he has
with the arms torn out is acceptable, just barely, to meet the you must
where clothes at home standard, but it is not ok to wear out of our yard. Of
course the fact that he sees other adults at the store dressed in the same
kind of shirt with pajama pants on, or their underwear showing, does not
help support my point. The no hat or coat fashion requirement is also
baffling to me. It is apparently more important to look right than it is to
not be cold, which just supports my earlier point about logical
consequences. :)


Jennifer

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2012 1:42 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] The maid wants to go on strike!

> Rebecca, what if the child does not care if his clothes are dirty? What if
> he is perfectly willing to go around in dirty clothes? I know it is summer
> time now, but my oldest son would go to school in dirty clothes. I have to
> have someone sighted go through his clothes occasionally and pull out 
> things
> with stains because he will just wear them that way.
>
Well, maybe he needs to miss opportunities he'd get if he dressed 
appropriately, being passed over for a date or a volunteer thing or a job.

There is a difference between clothes that stink and stains. I'm not clear 
which one you're dealing with.

Truthfully, I've taken to asking Stephen before we go anywhere if he has 
clothes on that aren't torn.  The last time I didn't ask, he wore a shirt 
that had one sleeve ripped off and jeans that looked like they'd been 
through a crocodile attack.  An older man from my church asked me privately 
if I needed money to get my kids decent clothes, which was totally 
embarrassing.  Seriously, the next week, the man and his wife brought a bag 
to me of stuff they'd bought at Target, for both Stephen and Sarah, as if I 
couldn't provide for them.

Jo Elizabeth 


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