ARGHH!!!

I have no other title that I feel I can say.

Yesterday I was working. The girl at the register next to me was one of those people that just drives me nuts and rubs me the wrong way. Anyway...

I was on break. The store always has music playing and it's usually upbeat stuff that most everyone knows. I don't even remember the song but I walked back at the end of it. Stephanie says, "Peggy may know." I asked, know what. She said "what was that show in the 80's that had the MONGOLOID kid in it? What the HELL???!!!

Yes, that is a term that was used a long time ago. She is about 24 and I have no idea where she would get that name from. Anyway, while my mind was going WTF? My mouth said, the show with the boy with Down syndrome, was Life Goes On. I was not in a mood to educate right then (or for that matter in the place to educate). I did tell her we had seen Chris Burke and his band at a couple of Buddy Walks. She said, you met Corky? I said, no, not met him but yes, we had seen his band.

She said, maybe I am ignorant (HELLO... Ya think?) but how can he play in a band?

My response was "what?"

"How can he play in a band?"

I said why wouldn't he play in a band and before allowing her to say something else, I started my limited education lesson. I told her people with Down syndrome can do all sorts of things. They go to college, have jobs, get married, live independently, etc. I explained that I fully expect C to go to college and have a job one day. She then asked what causes it and I gave the chromosome education. She then asked (gotta smack the girl for continuing to ask questions), "then how come they all look alike?" Wanting to just cold cock her, I said, they don't and her response was, "the ones I have seen do." Of course, I could have focused on the "ones" part of that statement. Like, my daughter and others with Down syndrome are objects. Instead I just got an irritated tone (surprised it took me this long) and said "well, I think I have seen a lot more kids and people with Down syndrome. I asked if she thinks that the caucasian kids with Down syndrome look like the Asian kids, the African American kids, etc. I explained that C looks like her dads family and not like the other kids in her class with Down syndrome. I said that yes, they do have some features that the syndrome tends to make more prominent, but no, not all people with Down syndrome look alike. (I am half tempted to take her an album of all of the kids we have met and what they all look like!)

I am sure this conversation could have gone on until I just had no choice but to either poke out my ear drums with a hot poker or to beat the crap out of her until she was senseless but apparently, somebody already beat her senseless!!!

Anyway, that is my rant for the day. The whole thing didn't as much upset me as it made me wonder, who here has the challenges? My child or people like her who are perceived as "normal"?