Heartbroken mom: Please teach kids about down syndrome, so they will be kind to my son (and others)
Kristen Rumphol shared a plea on Facebook for other parents to teach their kids about down syndrome, so children like her son won't be rejected. (Image courtesy Kristen Rumphol via Facebook)
ALGONQUIN, Ill. (Fox 32 News) - A heartbroken mom who watched her son repeatedly get rejected by other kids at a public pool is sharing her story on Facebook in a post that has gone viral.
Kristen Rumphol's son Brandon has down syndrome, and he has a hard time communicating. She said while they were at a public pool in Algonquin (a suburb of Chicago), Brandon repeatedly approached other children to ask them to play, but was rejected every single time.
"He would go up to other kids and say 'Hi boy' or 'Hi girl,' she wrote. "He is hard to understand but he was trying his best! Every single time the kids would either look at him weird and say nothing or just swim away. Brandon would look back at me with a look of disappointment. Not understanding why the kids were being mean to him."
Her letter asks that other parents teach their children about kids with down syndrome, so that they can respond with more kindness.
"They want friends that won't judge them and will just accept them as they are," she wrote.
Her entire post is here:
To all that were at the Algonquin public pool. I am a special needs mother, my son Brandon has Down Syndrome. I never thought I would be one of those mother's that write an open letter for all to read but here I am.
Today while at the swimming pool my heart was breaking! You see NO ONE wanted to play with my son. He would go up to other kids and say "Hi boy" or "Hi girl." He is still categorized as nonverbal and he is hard to understand but he was trying his best! Every single time the kids would either look at him weird and say nothing or just swim away.
Brandon would look back at me with a look of disappointment. Not understanding why the kids were being mean to him.
Parents, please educate your children! Tell your children that children with special needs want the same thing they do, they want to be accepted. They want to be included and treated just like every other "normal" child. They want friends that won't judge them and will just accept them as they are.
If they ask what is Down syndrome? Tell them it is a third copy of the 21st chromosome. Every person with Down Syndrome will learn to do the same thing as everyone else it just takes them longer to get there. They will need more help to there. But they WILL get there!
Secretly I hope this might go viral. Please feel free to share this on our page. Help me to spread awareness for all children with special needs just not down syndrome. They just want to be loved, accepted and included!!