[blparent] How do you start to explain people's unfounded fears toyour children?

[Judy Jones]

So sorry you are facing that.  The only thing I can think of, which you 
probably already have, as your posts always make so much sense, is to find a 
way to meet the boy's parents, and be as gracious as possible, and set the 
tone of calming any fears they have for their son, answer any questions, 
invite them over, giving them reassurance.

The thing you both have in common, and you can point this out, is keeping 
your children safe.

Plus, they may get pressure from their son if he knows you and your daughter 
are having fun when he cannot.

Are these parents you know through PTA, for instance, church, or regularly 
see in the neighborhood?

I hope some of these ideas help.

Judy


-----Original Message----- 
From: Jo Elizabeth Pinto via blparent
Sent: Saturday, March 14, 2015 6:14 PM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: [blparent] How do you start to explain people's unfounded fears 
toyour children?

My sighted daughter just turned seven years old a few weeks ago.  Hard to 
believe.  Anyway, we’re having one of the first really beautiful sunny 
spring days, so she asked me to take her to a nearby park.  She invited a 
neighbor boy her age to come.  His parents said no, there had to be an adult 
along.  She told his parents her mom would be taking them.  The dad said no, 
he meant an adult who could see.  She came home really confused, of course. 
She said we go to the park all the time, which we do.  So I tried to explain 
that some parents don’t feel that their kids will be safe supervised by a 
blind adult.  Her next natural question was why.  I told her some parents 
worry that their kids will get hurt if no one is watching them.  Her answer 
was that we’ve been to the park millions of times and she hasn’t gotten 
hurt.  Also true.  She’s a smart girl.  I told her some parents haven’t ben 
around blind people much.  The odd thing is, the neighbor boy’s mom is one 
of the higher-ups in the special ed department with the local school 
district.  So I’m just wondering, is there anything in particular you have 
said to your kids that has helped make sense of nonsense?

Jo Elizabeth

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may 
kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at 
evening.--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
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