Forevryoung said:
I've always been different- before the exact "difference" could be pinpointed, I was teased and abused in school. So I know what it is like to want to be "normal" and fit in.
My only suggestion is to constantly point out that there is no such thing as "normal". One of my favorite quotes is "Normal is only a setting on a washing machine". The earlier children learn that everyone is different and everyone needs help doing <I>something</I> the easier it is to accept it.
Start with strangers and obvious things like "that person has blue sneakers and that other person has white sneakers and you have pink sneakers... they are all different" Two people might have white sneakers but not everyone has white sneakers. I guess that's how I think about life (yes, in terms of sneakers).
Just an idea- hope it helps.
Lots of us are different. Teddy Roosevelt had terrible asthma, extremely poor vision, ADHD, and was very weak as a child. FDR couldn't walk due to polio. George Washington had gum disease and had to wear poor-fitting dentures which he had to take out to talk or eat(how embarrassing!) Helen Keller was made blind and deaf from a childhood illness. Winston Churchill suffered terribly with bipolar disorder. They all persevered with their disabilities.
I think it is very important to point out to our kids, and other kids, how much they are LIKE other people, not just their differences. My DS11 is very autistic and mentally handicapped. He is very obviously slow. He grunts and drools and looks away, so sometimes children are alittle afraid of him. I usually explain that Christian has some trouble learning, so it's hard for him to talk and play like the other kids, but he still likes to eat ice cream and go swimming. That usually perks up their ears--what kid doesn't like ice cream and swimming?
My oldest son, DS20, is bipolar. He has always been intense, dramatic and ,at times, difficult. He is also extremely creative, into theater, writes music and is one of the most compassionate young men I know. He's different, all right, and as a kid it was pretty painful. I always tried to be sure he understood that his differentness wasn't a bad thing, that it makes him the interesting person he is. And I never let him use it as an excuse for bad character or giving up.
A lot of the ride throughs get you pretty close to the scenes so your DD should be able to see them pretty good. Mine loved Spaceship Earth for this reason. They also do a lot with smells on several rides. You know, buring buildings, skunks, etc...
