I took my kids to the doctor’s office for a checkup recently.  While I stood at the desk (in the super-quiet lobby area) filling out forms, Addy suddenly turned to me and asked in a loud voice “Mommy! Why that girl not have any arms?”  I froze.  She jabbed her arm out to clearly point: “Right there!  Why she not have arms?”

Well, this was a completely new experience for me.  Ever since Addy was born, we’ve experienced staring kids, curious adults, and parents’ awkward reactions when their kid asked them loudly “HEY! MOM! Why does that girl have a RED FACE?”  No problem; until recently, Addy was too young to hear the inquiries, and we know little kids are curious.  We often just reassured the other parents with a smile, not sure why they felt so awkward around us.  It’s okay, we’re cool with it.

But that day in the waiting room, the tables were turned; suddenly, I was the parent who was terrified that my curious three-year-old’s questions would be overheard by the girl who was, in fact, missing both arms, and I wanted to do anything to shut her up before I was branded as some backward, insensitive, ignorant lazy parent who can’t even teach her kids to accept other human beings for what they are in our postmodern hypersensitive age of diversity!  (*gasp*) What would people think?! ?

I halted her questions with an awkward combination of The Mommy Death Stare and a loud “shush!!” (yeah, smooth), muttering something about needing to sit down and wait “very, very quietly” for the appointment.  Go figure – the only place to sit down was right next to the young girl who, sure enough, was using her toes to leaf through the pages of the book she was reading, as there were no arms beyond the shoulders.

Then the girl looked up from her book with a soft smile and said quietly to me, “It’s okay, she can ask me anything she wants.  I’m used to questions.”  [“PHEW!  So she doesn’t hate us.  Good.”]  I smiled and thanked her.  She continued, “I don’t mind it when little kids ask me.  It’s the older ones who aren’t nice.”

Hmmm.  Maybe that’s why I’ve never minded kids’ questions; until recently, it’s usually just been the young ones who have noticed and asked about the stain.  So before I label us as the ‘confidently proud and matter-of-fact’ modern parents I thought we were, I have to admit that we’ve never really been the target of any malicious teasing.  Maybe there’s an inner ‘shaken and insecure’ parent waiting to emerge with the right prodding?  Probably.

At least now I understand better why parents silently freak out at their kids’ noisy observations – they’re afraid they’ll be branded as terribly incompetent parents.  And, like the graceful young girl in the waiting room, I’ll reassure them that it’s okay to ask.  No, I don’t think you’re backward or insensitive or a bad parent.  Even the most hypersensitive, postmodern parents have curious three-year olds…