Kids like him?

So yesterday we went to Home Depot to buy a gallon of paint. As usual the paint line is long and I have to wait for help matching paint for our shutters. And of course, I get the nutter to wait on me. In case you don't know this, I am a nut magnet. If there's a nut around, they will find me. The girl seemed nice enough to begin with. While we were waiting for her to match the paint, Cameron did his usual waving, making faces and saying hello to everyone who walked by. Most people as usual responded with a smile and returned the greeting. This nutter behind the paint counter instead responded with the question. "If you don't mind me asking, does he have autism or Downs? I nicely said, "he has Down syndrome". The girl then proceeded to tell me that she has a sister that has Cerebral Palsy and Hydrocephalus so she sees kids like Cameron all the time. Okay, so I believe that a picture is worth a thousand words. Unfortunately, there is no picture of my face after she said that. I didn't respond simply because it quite frankly shocked me a little. What exactly is a kid like that? Ok sure, Cameron has DS. So? How can someone who has a sibling with a disability classify a child that way. I know it was one of those harmless things, I'm sure she didn't mean to insult me but it's kinda like saying the R word. Although it wasn't meant to offend, it does. It's like saying I see black people all the time, or I see gay people all the time. Really not the appropriate thing to say. I felt the need to educate her, but Robert was getting embarrassed and I knew he would walk out of the store and leave me.

After leaving Home Depot, we went to Chick Fila where everyone knows Cameron. They are always so polite and enjoy Cameron's sociable personality . While we are eating, Alek asks me how that lady at Home Depot knew Cameron had DS. I said because of the way he looks. And Alek said he doesn't look different. That touched my heart. Alek sees Cameron as his little brother. Not one of those kids, or a kid like him. That's the way that we see him too as well as everyone who really knows him. In our little world sometimes I think we forget Cameron's diagnosis. To us he is just an adorable little boy and is no different than anyone else. It's just unfortunate that society will always see our kids this way instead of seeing their true colors. Maybe next time I will take the time to educate someone who says something goofy.