"I live in a home for special people."
If you were to hear or read a statement like that what would you think?
In my mind it must be an awesome place. Only special people live there? What makes them so special? They must have done something extraordinary in life? Moviestars? Presidents? Einstein? I picture it almost like Hugh Heffner's mansion....pools, servants, heat all year round, no cleaning, no cooking, no shopping, just pure enjoyment 24/7! Lots of California red wine!
I posed this question to my kids tonight and sadly the answer was "Mom, the homes for "special people" (and yes they used body language to show me quotation marks) are for people with disabilities." But by the grace of God, before I could question their perception of this ( and i was ready to jump all over it) they also piped up to say "I don't know what makes them so special, they are just the same as us, we are all equal!"
Yup, tears to my eyes and music to my heart. If there is one thing I have done right as a parent it is to teach my children to respect and treat every human with equality regardless of appearances, abilities or anything else that can set a human aside as a minority or "special".
Now, please don't get me wrong. I don't get angry with people who have this perception, after all we were taught it in my generation so generations before mine have a totally different perception.
Let's all get on the same band wagon please, some day! Time's, they are a changin'! Nobody is special! Everybody is special! We are all the same! For Heaven's sake let's treat each other that way!
Treating others as less than yourself is the greatest disservice you can offer the world!
I am one proud mom knowing my kids will be a part of the change, they are special!
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