His Son Started Crying After He Reprimanded Him For Using His Disability As A Crutch
This dad has an 8-year-old son who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. While his son is not in a wheelchair, since his disorder is on the more mild side, he does have to use crutches to get around.
He and his wife have raised the little boy so that he never thinks poorly of himself. Although he can acknowledge that his son is more limited in certain ways, and he and his wife accommodate him when necessary, he is adamant about his son not allowing his disability to define him.
He supports his son and wants him to know that he’s not less important than anyone else because of his cerebral palsy.
He’s also invested in ensuring his son can be as independent as possible, given his age and limitations.
“He’s a smart kid and usually gets the highest grades in his class,” he explained. “He is liked by all his teachers and classmates and has more friends than I ever had.”
“I’m so proud of him. He is well-behaved both at home and at school. But lately, he has started acting strange.”
A week and a half ago, his son began dodging his chores, like making his bed, picking up his dinner plates, and leaving a mess in his wake. The last two evenings, his son didn’t even do his homework, which concerns him.
Any time that he has challenged his son over what he’s not doing at home, his son says he can’t do anything since he’s disabled because of his cerebral palsy.
Then, his son referred to himself in a derogatory term, which appalled him, and he quickly told his son not to say that word.
cherryandbees – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
He wanted to know if someone else had taught the terrible word to his son, but his son said that wasn’t the case.
He spoke to his wife and his son’s teachers about his son’s behavior, but he’s not acting weirdly with them and continues to be on his best behavior while in class.
“Last night, he didn’t pick up his plate after dinner again,” he said. “I sat him down and told him to pick up his plate, and he screamed at me. He then again said he can’t because he’s disabled and useless.”
“My wife immediately started to comfort him with, “No, you are not.” I was frustrated with him acting out. This time, I decided to be more direct and strict. I scolded him, saying that he’s only useless if he acts like he is.”
“Then I said, “Now stop using your disability as an excuse and pick up your plate.” His eyes teared up, and my wife took him to his room. She thinks I’m [a jerk] for scolding him and raising my voice at him. I didn’t even notice I raised my voice, but that’s what she says.”
He’s left wondering if he was wrong to reprimand his son for using his disability as a crutch. What do you think?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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