Recently my daugthers have made friends with some of the neighborhood kids. I think that is great but the other kids don't know that my youngest has Congenital Muscular Dystrophy. I try not to let that be the first thing that I tell people because Kayla (my almost 5 year old) doesn't really know she is "disabled" I don't make a big deal out of it. I let her do what she thinks she can do. If you didn't know she had a disability you probably wouldn't know. Kayla seems like a normal kid and that is the way I want it to be. I step in when necessary but some of the neighborhood kids don't understand that she is a little slower at some things than they are. How would you handle this situation? I don't want the other kids to treat her too different because she is disabled but I want them to realize that she is different. Is there a way to do that??? Let me clarify a little bit. Yes her big sister knows that she is disabled but we don't really notice it with Kayla because we are used to it. All of the kids that we have been friends with for a while or are family know and don't see it either. It is just how Kayla is. I guess I am worried because I know how mean kids can be.
Does Isabella know about the disability? The best way for a kid to find out and not think to much about it is from another kid. I will tell you that I have a friend that has a son that is severly disabled. Until they hit middle school and the differences were much greater my cousin and him (only 9 months apart) were good friends. Just let her make friends and let the little differences show up and don't worry about them.
i would wait a while. i really dont what i would say
If your daughter doesn't know she is handicapped then the other kids won't know it either. If a child should ask then tell them that is the way God made your daughter.
As a young child (about 4 years old) I had a foster brother that was disabled. It was explained to me about him by my mother and from then on out, I think it just made Mark and I that much closer. I do think that you should explain the situation to the parents and have them explain it to their own kids. As parents, we know just how to explain issues as such to our own children better than anyone else really could. And, maybe Isabella could answer some questions that the friends might have. Sometimes it's more comfortable for kids to talk to other kids about issues like this.
One option is to talk to the parents of her friends and let them explain to their children that your daughter is differently abled in some areas. It can actually be beneficial for the neighborhood kids to know what your daughters limitations are, so as to not unintentially hurt her physically or emotionally. Kids can be mean, but from my observations, this mean spiritedness comes from a lack of understanding. Good Luck!!
