This post is brought to you by three cups of coffee (I am so wired-tired as I type this) and residual agita over something that happened at the aquarium this weekend. There we were standing in front of the tank with the hippos, the four of us totally entertained by them, when I noticed a girl about five years old looking at Max. I glanced at him; he was drooling. "EWWWWWWWW," she said, then darted away before I could respond or pull her ponytail (OK, I wouldn't actually).
Max didn't notice. Dave didn't, either. It's always me who does, I guess because I always have my antennae up for it.
I've blogged before about the stuff kids say about special-needs kids, how kids who stare or glare or make comments get to me. I know some of you feel the same.
The all-time most mind-boggling thing anyone has ever said about Max is this. I was having a discussion with an older woman I know who has some pretty out-there ideas on health stuff. I mentioned that Max had a stroke at birth. "That happened because you ate too much tuna while you were pregnant, right?" she said.
I was dumbfounded. Completely, WTF dumbfounded. "No, that's not it," I said, slowly. "It was due to oxygen deprivation." And left it at that.
It's been six years since Max had his stroke. Clearly, it's going to take a lot more time for me to stop caring about reactions people have, insane or not. Maybe I always will care, I don't know.
