P.S to thoughts on friendship…

The summer holidays are with us and we are very much ‘out and about’. This is, at times, challenging and I wanted to share a typical moment with you, following on from the last blog.

Dovedale is an incredibly beautiful river valley in the Peak District. It is a relatively short walk from the car park, alongside the tumbling river to broad stepping stones at the end. We went with a neighbour this week and overall is was a fantastic morning – I got some time with a new friend and the children enjoyed throwing stones, feeding ducks and climbing rocks.

At the end of the walk I thought we’d treat ourselves to a bockwurst sausage and we joined a short queue to buy one. The family in front of us had two slightly older children. As I was helping Climber on with his shoe, Smiling Flower raced up to them and gave each child a forceful shove before bouncing happily on the spot. Before I could intervene the parents were firmly berating Smiling Flower and telling her not to push. Of course, she had no idea anyone was cross with her and so seemed entirely unrepentant. My heart sank. This happens in different ways almost every day whilst we are ‘out and about’.

Sometimes, I am in super mum mode. I can go over, smile, and say something like ‘I’m sorry about that, my daughter is just trying to make friends, she is deaf and doesn’t always know how to be gentle.’ At that point most people immediately smile back, get interested and ask how to say hello in sign. They then usually encourage their children to wave and smile at Smiling Flower. I leave such interactions with my heart swelling with pride for my daughter who, with direction, gets the ‘meet and greet’ right in the end, and for the great British public who, with direction, are invariably generous and kind in their response.

The trouble is, all this rests on the intervenor. At the end of the Dovedale walk this intervenor was tired. We are deep into the summer holidays and I couldn’t summon the energy to break through the negative barrier of the family in front. So, with frustration, I pulled Smiling Flower to one side and signed to her that she had been too hard and it wasn’t OK to push children and if she wanted to say hello she needed to tap people on the shoulder and then wave.

At this point she went over to the family again and stood there waving and grinning. That day, Dovedale was her jungle and she wanted to make friends with everyone in it. Sadly the family weren’t looking the second time and I didn’t have it in me to interrupt their conversation, explain my complex girl, and ask if we could try the whole interaction again…

Smiling Flower was no doubt disappointed and confused as I led her away from them for a second time. Thankfully, the sausage was thoroughly delicious and the excitement of it’s arrival changed the mood in our camp as we got sticky and happy with onion relish and red sauce…

Still, this moment has left me with these thoughts… I direct them to myself as much as the big wide world because I know I get frustrated with kids who aren’t ‘nice’ to my kids… But, I wish there was more awareness. I wish everyone knew that there is always a back story, that even ‘normal’ looking children may have a hidden disability or difficulty. I wish people didn’t talk to the top of children’s heads but got down and read their expressions and emotions more clearly. I wish people knew that if this type of interaction occurs too often it will result in low confidence and low self esteem for the child concerned. I wish disability awareness training was mandatory for everyone, every 5 years. Thankfully, in a few days, I will be back on top and we will also have the back-up of Daddy as we enjoy two weeks of family time. There will continue to be lots of pushing and poking but also some heart warming interactions and new friends made. In the meantime, it’s another early night to recharge for me. Sleep is my jungle juice :o)