By Louise Flanagan
ONE of the main reasons I’m proud of Letterkenny Babies Facebook page is because it acts as a platform for parents to reach out to others.
Hopefully the poster will receive some moral support on the page and maybe their message will be read by someone who needs to see it.
Recently we received one such message; “Just back from the town park with my son who is autistic. He was having a great time and there I was, broken to bits. Two young girls, approximately aged ten, were sitting on a bench laughing and whispering. That was fine; I’m used to it by now. As long as he’s happy, I don’t care. He does a wee dance when he is happy which I love seeing but I guess to some children, it’s funny and kids will be kids.
“But what got to me was that I saw they were videoing my son. I asked the girl to stop and she said ‘I’m not’. I told her that I could see, as she was still on Snapchat and knew she had sent something.
“So yes, a video of my son was sent on her story on Snapchat. I was just so upset. I know it could’ve been worse; he could have been crying his head off, but I still think it is wrong. I suppose the point of writing this is if you’re not going to a park to play, don’t go and make fun of other children.”
The message received an outpouring of support, with everyone agreeing that it was totally unacceptable for those little girls to video another child. Almost a thousand people reacted to the post and hopefully some of those people will have conversations with the children in their lives to encourage kinder behaviour.
Some people commented to say that the mother should have taken the phone off them to delete the video and also to phone their parents, but I don’t think that’s something I would do myself in that situation. Things could escalate quickly. Plenty of people commented to say that children that age shouldn’t have Snapchat on their phone, and I wholeheartedly agree with that.
Other parents of kids with special needs commented, sharing similar experiences of people laughing and staring at their children.
One wrote, “As a mum of a 14 year old with special needs in a wheelchair, this makes me so sad but I can relate in a way.
“We have had stares, whispers and sniggers. There is no education about different disabilities. I have watched children and adults stare at my son, unaware that I’m looking at them. When they catch my eye, I just smile at them or if I’m having an off day, I just stare back at them.
“My son used to ask ‘Why are they staring at me?’ Now he just smiles back at them or says hello.
“Dare I say it, but sometimes it’s the parents to blame. As the saying goes, monkey see monkey do. It’s a cruel world we live in. My son’s motto is ‘I don’t have a disability, I have a different ability’.”
No doubt about it, kids roaming about unsupervised in the park is unacceptable too. Maybe the mum or dad was doing a lap of the park and thought they were playing and had no idea what they were actually up to?
I think we all need to accept that our children are capable of cruelty. This awareness can then ensure that we guide them so that they do not behave in a cruel way.
As one page member put it; “Parents need to have a serious conversation with their kids. It’s time to teach children about empathy, kindness, respect and manners. Education starts at home.”
Louise Flanagan is an admin of Letterkenny Babies Facebook page and the author of the children’s book series Dragonterra and Dream Beasts. www.dragonterra.ie
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