We have this grocery cart chair for Grant that his amazing PT gave us. He LOVES it! He sits up like a big boy and talks the entire time we walk through the store :) Although it's just another part of our daily lives, other people look at it like it's some sort of foreign object!I have had several people ask about Grant's big boy chair. The first thing I always say is "My son has Cerebral Palsy..." and it never fails before I can get the rest of the phrase out the person is saying "Oh I'm so sorry" like it's the worst thing they have ever heard. I want so badly to ask why are you sorry? Why do you say it with such a tone that his life is doomed? You don't know Grant!! You don't know the smile on his face when we go in his room in the morning. You don't know the way he gets my attention when he wants something. You don't know the determination in this little body. You don't know all that he has accomplished that we were told he would never do! Don't be sorry...don't look at the me with those sad eyes! This boy has brought more to my life than you could ever imagine!
I just wish that more people, instead of looking at me with pathetic eyes, would ask questions. I had one cashier at walmart that asked question after question. She said she's heard of it but never knew what it was. I also had an older woman stop me in the parking lot as I was getting Grant in the car and ask about the chair. She then went on to carry on about a 5 minute conversation with me. That means the world to me when people ask and are actually interested! So the next time you see a special chair in a grocery cart, or a child walking with braces, or a child in a wheelchair please don't stand and stare! Please don't get those sad eyes and feel sorry for the parent, instead ask about it. It means more than you know!!
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