Faces to the Word

When I knew him he was twelve years old and in the sixth grade, that awkward and glorious first year of middle school. He loved English class and was less enthusiastic about Mathematics, but diligent about completing his homework. He was a fan of college basketball, football, and track and field. Most afternoons he joined his friends at a local after school teen club where they played sports, checked out girls, and just "hung out". The TV was permanently set to MTV whenever he had any say about the matter. When given the chance he came home with a trombone to play in the middle school band and used his pencils as drums far too often. He was one cool kid.

She was three years old and the definition of independence. She wore only the clothes that she wanted to wear because the battles to try to convince her to wear anything else were far too great. She did everything on her terms and would refuse to cooperate with a direction to then do the exact same thing a minute later as long as no one told her to do so. At the age of three she was bilingual, working with a third language, and could easily switch between the languages based upon the situation and her needs. After being exposed to the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear for a week at school she took it to the reading corner and "read" it word for word from memory, turning the pages at the right times and adding dramatic flair. If she did not want to do something, there was little chance of changing her mind. She was shy around others but also a flirt with her smiles and waves and a chatterbox when she was at play. I lost debates with her frequently.

He is six years old and has the best sense of humor I have ever seen in a child. You have to be very careful what kind of jokes or comments are said around him because he picks them up and understands things that he is far too young to understand. He is a superflirt with the Kindergarten girls, and girls in general and has quite the fan club. He does not hesitate to make his opinion known and has his own opinion and view about almost everything. One of his favorite ways to amuse himself is to test every new adult he meets by trying to see exactly how far he can push them. He loves technology and working with computers. He also loves watching car races, Disney movies, and Pirates of the Carribean. He hates girly movies.

These are just three of the many children I have met and loved that have also happened to have mental retardation. They are not stupid or uncool, and they deserve more respect than to have to face a world where they are bombarded with the word "retarded" being thrown at them as a slang term for things that are uncool or displeasing or hated. They deserve acceptance, respect, dignity, and equality. They are kids who have more in common with their peers than they have differences. How long will it take us as a society to learn this fact?