Unfortunately, I lost the early posts in a change over of web hosts. Below is what I have been able to retrueve from web.archive.org.
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Another regular thing that happens to a small person is that inevitable talk with friends, family members, work collegues and new people about “being little”.
Other restricted growth people will know what I am on about here.
For instance, you’ll meet someone new either socially or through work. You get to know each other and build up a certain level of rapport and trust for the new person in your life to feel comfortable around you.
And then, out of the blue, the conversation turns into the one where you (they really) ‘talk’ about being of restricted growth. I don’t know about other small people, but have you noticed how it comes up so slyly on you without any initiation from yourself and usually before you realise what is happening?
You can almost guess what the said person will say at which particular point in said conversation. Invariably it includes statements such as:
“You do well for being small” – hmmmmm.
“99% of women have trouble getting clothes to fit as well”
The, “you’re not as special as you think you are” opinion that attempts to make you feel like you’re part of society, that in fact misses the complete point, as this statement makes us feel even more isolated because you’ve just belittled and dismissed one of the major problems we face.
And the one phrase that comes up – usually towards the end of the conversation and is a MAJOR bugbear of mine is this phrase:
“Well, you’re normal”
Gee whizz thanks for letting me know. Seriously, this is the WORST thing you can say to a person of restricted growth. All I have to ask you is, would you say this to your friend, your work colleague or stranger you’ve just met and is of average height?
No.
Why?
Because it’s a given and you’d receive some pretty strange looks if you started going around saying that to people.
But what I want to know is – why isn’t this given afforded to people with restricted growth?
So, please next time you feel the need to make a small person included in the world, talk to them like you would your other work colleagues, friends and family and “being normal” should go without saying!