I am sorry if this is in the wrong place, I dont intend to offend, but I am at loss at how to handle this situation. I have seen threads get heated in the past, and I apologise for my ignorance.
My sister in law is a young woman of 21 who has severe disabilities. She lives at home with her mum (my mil) and we are currently visiting for holidays. She has no language, needs help with everything, but she can walk if guided.
Last time we were here my oldest who is 5 was only two years old, and accepted her with no questions. He played with her, and comforted her by stroking her arm when she was upset during a thunderstorm. When he was crying due to bad nappy rash, she started crying too, and managed to shuffle across the room to see what was upsetting him so. To me it seemed they had a "connection".
It is different now, he is scared, and has been refusing to approach her. He is also asking questions, such as why can auntie not talk, why is she not walking, why is she behaving like this. I am trying to explain, but he is only 5. Also, my SIL is the light of my MIL's life, and it is upsetting my MIL that my son is not rushing to her like he did last time. She says not to rush anything, but I can see she is turning her back to hide her tears.
My SIL has been trying to approach my son with smiles and excitement.
I guess what I am asking is: what should I answer my 5 year old? How can I best ensure that he is not scared and will manage to approach her with an open mind?
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Please help me explain severe disability to my 5 year old
5 replies
StarryStarryNight · 24/08/2007 21:35
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