Comments on: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words, Take 2 http://cynthiajpatton.com/2013/07/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-take-2/ Autism, adoption, single parenting & starting over Thu, 14 Mar 2019 21:09:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Cynthia Patton http://cynthiajpatton.com/2013/07/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-take-2/#comment-9613 Cynthia Patton Fri, 02 Aug 2013 07:53:36 +0000 http://cynthiajpatton.com/?p=1552#comment-9613 Jen,
Yes, either arrangement had implications, and to be honest, I’m not sure what the right answer is. But like you, the second photo hurt my heart in ways that proved difficult to articulate. Personally, I think the best option would have been to leave him in his wheelchair but figure out a way to seat him with the other kids, not off to the side.

I love your line: “The struggle to escape the cocoon is what gives the butterfly the strength it needs to fly.” This explains why so many special needs kids (and their families) are such beautiful human beings.

Glad you stopped by!

]]> By: Jen http://cynthiajpatton.com/2013/07/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-take-2/#comment-9536 Jen Tue, 30 Jul 2013 01:28:10 +0000 http://cynthiajpatton.com/?p=1552#comment-9536 Ms. Patton,
We need to teach the young people to respect all life. Period. Short, tall, skinny, wealthy, not so wealthy, single head of homes, etc. When we reduce someone’s “value” to something that can be diminished so easily, as to be offended over where the child is seated, (Either arrangement had implications….) it could easily pass on a ‘victim’ mentality, which is not the type of empowerment any parent would choose for their child.
Respectfully,
Jen

P.S. The second photo hurts my heart. While the first one isn’t posed well with him being so far removed from the group, the second one sends the message his chair isn’t part of his reality. Ouch. My son has a classmate who uses a wheelchair. He is well loved and refuses to be hemmed in by that chair. His Spirit grew to the glorious being it is, because he had to overcome these awkward moments. The struggle to escape the cocoon is what gives the butterfly the strength it needs to fly.

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