One child at a time

I must admit to feeling a tad defeated after reading this particular article in The Age last Saturday. I felt despondent that, after all the hard work on acceptance and equality that a large number of short statured people have done, there is still an element in society that perpetuates the image of the court jester and the freak show. As Peter Dinklage says, "...media portrayal is, in part, the fault of actors who are dwarves. You can say no. You can not be the object of ridicule." yet there are those who don't understand that. They see their antics as legitimate entertaining, a job and a means through which they can educate others about our condition. I don't see it that way. I believe that the best way to educate others about dwarfism is to simply get out there and be yourself in your regular clothes, going about your regular life doing your regular job.

So it was with a heavy heart that I read that article and I felt as though I just wanted to disappear into a hole until the controversy died down. However, I didn't disappear. Instead the girls and I decided we'd take a trip up to The Dandenong's to get some fresh air and see the beautiful bushland. What a lovely afternoon we had! It was freezing cold but sunny. We found a gorgeous little craft store and spent some time browsing.

A mother and her two little boys came into the store. Of course, the inevitable happened and the littlest one (who would have been about 4 or 5) said in a loud voice, as only a four year old can, "Look! Midgets!" His poor mother looked as though she was hoping the earth would open up and swallow them completely. She bent down and gently said to him, "No, that's not right. Don't call them that."

Internally I cringed but I took a deep breathh and went over to the boy and gently said, "Hi! You know what? Midget isn't the right word. It is actually dwarf, but you can call me Leisa. What's your name?"

We had a really lovely conversation. I learned their names and we talked about all the cool things that were in the store. Afterwards the mother thanked me for taking the time to chat and apologised for the use of the word midget. Apparently the children had seen a TV program that showed short statured people and refered to them as midgets and she knew it wasn't right. I told her that I just wanted them to have a positive and educational experience meeting someone who was different. A couple of other people in the store approached me after that and said how much they appreciated the way I handled the situation. This lifted my spirits because it made me realise that when these incidents happen there are other people who are listening and watching too and they reap the benefits from the encounter as well.

We bumped into the famaily again when we entered the bakery to have afternoon tea. The boys saw me and greeted me with an enthusiastic, "Hi Leisa!" Mission accomplished.

This was one of two encounters that happened over the weekend. At church on Sunday, one of my new friends approached me and encouraged me by retelling a conversation she and one of her youngest daughters had regarding me.

"Mummy, did you know that your little friend told me that she is little because her bones didn't grow very fast? I think it's good because she's a grown up and when I talk to her I don't have to look up all the time!" (paraphrased)

These two incidents over the weekend really encouraged me. The world doesn't necessarily need a documentary on dwarfism aired on TV or a controversial article in The Age to educate people what we're about. We just need to be ourselves, make the most of each opportunity when they arise and educate the world one child at a time.