How to respond when strangers ask intrusive questions about my child

[LoisPrice]

Having a child who has medical equipment is proving an eye open. There are many people who stare at him, which is uncomfortable but I guess I can live with.

whats really upsetting is when a stranger comes up to me and without starting a conversation, not even a “hello” questions me “ so what’s wrong with him?”

I have enough going on in my life I don’t want to be rude and then have aggression in return. What can I say so they think about what they just done?

“He’s allergic to intrusive questions from rude strangers…..”

Just say that you really can't discuss private medical information in public.

I knew what this was going to be about because we get it too, my child can't see the stares/questions too because he's also registered blind but I can and I hate it. A woman once stared so long and hard that she walked into a tree. I don't mind answering questions from curious children but I do object to the ones from nosy adults.

This. No more needed. Maybe a smile and "I'm sure you understand".

My ds gets asked why he’s in a wheelchair - usually by little kids.

He just says “my legs don’t work well”.

Thats usually enough for him.

Lots of kids stare and their parents tell them not to be rude but my ds doesn’t see it that way. He just sees it as natural curiosity of children.

I don’t know how he’d react to adults doing it though! M

OP you need to answer how you see fit. If you feel they are being rude make it clear. If you feel they’re clumsily trying to engage and you don’t want to engage make it clear. If you think they are being intrusive make it clear it’s not up for discussion.

Thanks for the suggestion, asking why they need to know seems an I confrontational reply as does we don’t discuss our medical history with stranger

We get this a lot. My stock reply is “nothing is wrong with him, thanks. His brain just works a bit differently, like yours, which clearly doesn’t work at all…”