Friday, February 10, 2006

How Old?..

D and I were in Burger King this morning getting breakfast for papa and grampi who were working on the new rental and the nice young woman behind the counter asked..."how old is she?". This unsuspecting question which for most people wouldn't mean anything except a quick, perky reply. I cautiously say, "16 months" and it is like all of the heads in the building turn towards us. "But she is so small!" Well, yeah, she was born weighing one pound twelve ounces, so we're still catching up. And then the ubiquitious, "Is she healthy?" "Is she walking?" How do you explain to someone that your daughter is healthy but that she has cerebral palsy? That she is in therapy to help her do things that other babies find so easy? Thank god she didn't ask what D's "outlook" is, because how do you tell someone that you just don't know?

1 comment:

Josephine said...

I had someone ask me when my daughter was about 14 or 15 months old whether she was walking yet, and when I replied "not yet" he said "well, you know, when you carry them around too much then they get lazy" I don't mind people asking questions about her, but when they then judge me as a parent or make statements when they know nothing about her, it makes me angry! I said "Actually, she has hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy", which made him feel bad for what he said I'm sure, but to be honest I didn't care!