In these days where "retarded" has become a dirty word and an epithet, let us keep in mind that little pitchers have big ears and even bigger mouths, but don't expect them to report what they hear accurately.
This is great !!!
This is great !!!
RETARDED GRANDPARENT
(this was actually reported by a teacher)
After Christmas, a teacher asked her young pupils how they spent their holiday away from school.
One child wrote the following:
We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa.
They used to live in a big brick house but Grandpa got retarded and they moved to Arizona .
Now they live in a tin box and have rocks painted green to look like grass. They ride around on their bicycles and wear name tags because they don't know who they are anymore.
They go to a building called a wreck center, but they must have got it fixed because it is all okay now, they do exercises there, but they don't do them very well.
There is a swimming pool too, but they all jump up and down in it with hats on.
At their gate, there is a doll house with a little old man sitting in it. He watches all day so nobody can escape.
Sometimes they sneak out, and go cruising in their golf carts.
Nobody there cooks, they just eat out.
And, they eat the same thing every night --- early birds.
Some of the people can't get out past the man in the doll house.
The ones who do get out, bring food back to the wrecked center for pot luck.
My Grandma says that Grandpa worked all his life to earn his retardment and says I should work hard so I can be retarded someday too..
When I earn my retardment, I want to be the man in the doll house.
Then I will let people out, so they can visit their grandchildren.
..... PRICELESS
After Christmas, a teacher asked her young pupils how they spent their holiday away from school.
One child wrote the following:
We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa.
They used to live in a big brick house but Grandpa got retarded and they moved to Arizona .
Now they live in a tin box and have rocks painted green to look like grass. They ride around on their bicycles and wear name tags because they don't know who they are anymore.
They go to a building called a wreck center, but they must have got it fixed because it is all okay now, they do exercises there, but they don't do them very well.
There is a swimming pool too, but they all jump up and down in it with hats on.
At their gate, there is a doll house with a little old man sitting in it. He watches all day so nobody can escape.
Sometimes they sneak out, and go cruising in their golf carts.
Nobody there cooks, they just eat out.
And, they eat the same thing every night --- early birds.
Some of the people can't get out past the man in the doll house.
The ones who do get out, bring food back to the wrecked center for pot luck.
My Grandma says that Grandpa worked all his life to earn his retardment and says I should work hard so I can be retarded someday too..
When I earn my retardment, I want to be the man in the doll house.
Then I will let people out, so they can visit their grandchildren.
..... PRICELESS
Lena Austin
http://www.LenaAustin.com
Writing blog: http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com
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2 comments:
Lena, you are way off here. The word retarded isn't a dirty word. It's a slur that hurts people with special needs. I always wonder why it is that you have to have a special needs child to get why this isn't funny. Think of how much you love your kids or your grandkids. Then think how hilarious it would be to find a poem that is mocking their disability. It's just not okay to take away the dignity of millions of kids like mine because you found a poem, that really is stupid and hold it up like you've never seen anything like it. It's something that a fifth grader would laugh at, not a grown up.
Here's a news flash....we love our special needs kids as much as you love your "perfect" kids. Shame on you.
Hannah honey, two of my daughters and one of my grandchildren (to date) are "developmentally disabled." Susan, the youngest, was so impaired by her problems that she was considered for special schools. Today she's going to college, and fights every day to maintain her grades while still holding down a full time job working for the state. Tuesday, the eldest, is one semester away from graduation with a full bachelor's degree in business and is the mother of a disabled child who inherited her disability. She's also published and writes comedy despite her struggles.
This anecdotal story I posted has nothing to do with mocking the disabled and everything to do with a word being misused by a child. It laughs at the retiree lifestyle from the innocent eyes of a child.
Even so, my children were taught not to fear words but the thoughts behind the words. All of them are kind-hearted enough to assume there is no hatred in stories like this. There is no prejudice against your child or my three, at least not here.
When the word "retarded" is used in prejudice and hatred, you have the right and responsibility to correct the usage. I do not call my children "retarded" because a misfire in the neurons of their brains made things difficult for them in school. They had genetically transmitted neurological issues that meant they needed more attention than usual, and specialized teaching methods.
I personally don't like the word because it means someone gave up and slapped a negative label on a child who perhaps needs a little more help, not less.
Good luck, Hannah, to you and your child. I can tell you love them. Keep fighting, because every child is worth it.
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