“Some kids are different,” the woman said. “They have a harder time learning how to grow up. She problem has some special needs and isn’t able to learn how to use the toilet, but it isn’t nice to point at her like that.”
I knew the woman meant well by what she was saying. She was at least trying to teach her daughter to have good manners and not be rude to people who are different, but the words stung, nonetheless. The conclusion she drew was the first conclusion everyone always came to when they saw me wearing diapers or pull-ups.
If they were polite, strangers would ask if I was developmentally delayed, or special needs, if being more discreet. Strangers who were a bit more forward might ask if I have Down Syndrome, Autism, or some other specific disability.