pity me pity me woe is me!!!

[dizzy_starshine]

Can I start by saying I don't want this post to appear to be in anyway against people with disabilities, the issue is with her attitude.



LADY: Hello I just wanted to introduce myself as I have a disabled child...
ME: ...ok, Hello
LADY: I've just moved to the area and I guess I will be using you a lot for her medications.
ME: Ok is there anyway I can help you?
LADY: No not really I just wanted to introduce myself as my child has disabilites

I'm now a little confused over what she wants. Does she want me to show pity? Or am I just meant to say hello? I thought people with disabilities wanted to be treated like everyone else. After a few moments of silence she says.

LADY: So can I meet the other members of staff?
ME: I am the only person here currently ma'am. We have 2 members of staff my co worker works 9-2 and I work 1-6. The Pharmacist on duty is not a member of staff for our company and just comes to do the prescriptions.
LADY: Oh, well I'd like to meet them.
ME: I can arrange a time for you to do so. Because they are very busy they like to know in advance if they're needed so they can arrange to be free. They are only working here for the day though so I don't know if it's needed really.
LADY: OK well just let them know about me ok? that my child is disabled too.

She walked around the shop and then came back to me with a leaflet about our delievery service. To cut a long story short I signed her up for the service after she told me how hard it was to get out with the child and how it would make her life easy. She was very happy with this and left.

This was on Monday and we've tried to deliever every day since and every time she has been out. We leave a card saying sorry we missed you and every evening she phones complaining. Surely if it's so hard for her to go out why is she out every day when she knows she has a delievery coming?
What annoys me and my co worker though is her constant saying of 'my child is disabled' like she's ever so proud. I just can't work out why she feels the need to keep saying it over and over and over in every conversation she has with us.

[HALFHUMANHALFZOMBIE]

Does she think having a disabled child around bothers her in any way?

[Kara]

She just wants everyone to know her child is vastly more important than anyone else or their piddly little problems.

Frankly, I'd like to see this "disabled child" for myself. I think she just wants attention.

[dizzy_starshine]

She did have the child with her. She's about 5 years old and in like a wheelchair type pushchair with a metal fram holding her head up. I was talking to her and she'd smile at me but I don't think she was very aware of much. She was rather sweet.

[Kara]

Ah, well. Don't I look like little Ms Stoopidhead then?

[Lyse]

I'm doing collection for student loans right now, and get a lot of the "I'm disabled and can't pay!". My absolute favorites are the "I'm a disabled veteran and cannot/will not pay my debt to the federal government!". It's very liberating to say something along the lines of "Hmm. I'm also a disabled vet, appear to have a higher disability rating than you, and still manage to find a job to pay my bills. Now, would you like to discuss voluntary payments, or should we just put in for garnishment of your monthly check?" It tends to make them stammer quite a bit.

Anyone that is 100% totally and permenantly disabled, we will go out of our way to make sure that they have the info they need to start the process for getting their loan forgiven. Other than that? You can work, you aren't unique and I have little to no sympathy.

[bigjimaz]

Any disability is tragic and parents of disabled kids tend to dote on their little ones a bit more than those of us blessed with healthy children. Agreeably, most of the time they need to.

This being said, what do you want to bet that her 'disabled' child has something akin to ADHD, and not something life-threatening, and she just doesn't want to deal with him/her any more than she has to.

[iradney]

My sister was mentally and physically disabled. Unless you were a friend of the family, all you would know is my Mom had 2 little girls. She didn't see why the whole world should anymore than that! I tend to agree with her on that point. True, having a special needs kid is alot of work, but dammit, that doesn't mean you should abuse it. At the end of the day, all the high-tech doohickeys and supernutrientenrichedspecial food means jack to them - all they want is love.

[dizzy_starshine]

Any disability is tragic and parents of disabled kids tend to dote on their little ones a bit more than those of us blessed with healthy children. Agreeably, most of the time they need to.

This being said, what do you want to bet that her 'disabled' child has something akin to ADHD, and not something life-threatening, and she just doesn't want to deal with him/her any more than she has to.

Let me say again the child was in the shop and obviously had physical disabilities.

[Dreamstalker]

Some parents with disabled children will try to milk that fact for all they can...special deals, freebies, etc that would be nice, but not necessities of life*. I'm not sure, but it sounds a bit like that's what the woman was trying to do...you signed her up for delivery, she's not home, then she calls to yell at you for her not being home for the delivery?

*Something that could be considered to count as this: when I was very young, my mom was able to get ringside seats at Barnum & Bailey, but it was a legitimate request as my vision was much worse then than it was later...and she was very polite about it.

[SongsOfDragons]

I once used my disability (i.e. epilepsy!!) to yell at a teacher who thought it was not politically correct to say the word 'brainstorm'...I won!!

[protege]

I think she just wants attention.

That's exactly why she's doing it. She wants everyone to 'realize' how her situation sucks and for everyone to feel sorry for her. People like that piss me off. They see their child as a "get out of jail free card." They want all the freebies they think they're entitled to, and will play the "disabled" card as much as possible. These people may also resent that they have to take care of someone who cannot help themself.

[Cthulhu]

I was thinking more along the lines of a martyr type syndrome.

She keeps talking about how she has a disabled child, and how she is taking care of her, so people will know that she is such a "good person" for taking care of her disabled child.

"Look at what a wonderful person she is? "

I could be wrong though.

[Imogene]

I once used my disability (i.e. epilepsy!!) to yell at a teacher who thought it was not politically correct to say the word 'brainstorm'...I won!!

Schwat? What's wrong with 'brainstorm'? Maybe he could only summon a brain drizzle?
*shrugs*

[SongsOfDragons]

Apparently the word 'brainstorm' is offensive to epileptics as it may be used as a euphemism for spazzing/having a fit/seizing. I told her I was offended by her thinking me stupid enough to think that 'brainstorm' offended me.