What's your name?

"What’s your name?”

The silence echoes loudly as G excitedly points to his shirt and the picture of whatever superhero he has chosen for the day.

“NO! What’s your name?!”

This is the point when I, as a mama, have a choice. Let my child continue on or intervene. Why would I intervene with such a harmless question? G can’t say his name. He can recognize it. He can point to it when he sees it, but when a kid asks him his name? Nope. Not happening.

I used to always jump right in, but then I remember that I can’t always be there. He needs to learn to get by and he is happy to suggest that today he is Batman {like his shirt} but sadly this almost always leads to the other child getting angry at him for not answering the question they way they want him to. And then they choose two routes. Ignore or antagonize. The silence often welcomes an ugly side in children where they choose to call G mean names instead. {and while he smiles initially because he’s never heard those ugly words, the meaning soon sinks in and the tears begin to flow}

Such a simple interaction is so tough for him. For those kids with hidden differences, there can be unnecessary struggles because of a sadly mistaken inability to answer being construed as rudeness. I wish I could teach every child patience, but since that is impossible {and stressful just to think about lol} instead I wish for strength for G. I know his struggles aren’t the hardest out there and I’m so thankful for all he can do, but I hope that he can feel the love we have for him and remember that the mean words kids speak aren’t out of unkindness, but simply out of misunderstanding.

I wish for him to keep on smiling and rocking my socks and I wish for a little understanding that we're all a little different. Embrace the different!