What are some things you shouldn’t say to a person when they tell you they have Tourette’s? For starters don’t say “Man! That’s so awesome! You can swear all the time and get away with it! I wish I had that!” What are other things you think people shouldn’t say?
This blog is going to start a top-10 countdown of the things you just shouldn’t say to someone who has TS. So what would you say in response to this comment from another person who you have told that you or your child had Tourette’s?
Counting down toward No. 1, here’s No. 7:
Maybe if you disciplined your child more, or if you weren’t such an anxious parent, then they wouldn’t have Tourette’s.
From Melissa:
Tourette Snydrome is not something that can be controlled no matter what type of discipline is used. It’s a genetic neurological disorder.
From Brynn, a mother of a child with Tourette’s:
I would say to them, “Do you know what TS is? Do you remember how painful it was to watch your child be in pain as an infant and not be able to do a think about it? I live that every day with my child, and yes that makes me an anxious parent, but not about her tics or her future. You see, I have raised her to be strong and be proud of all of who she is. What makes me an anxious parent are closed minded people like you that she will undoubtedly encounter in her life. What makes me an anxious parent are the hopes that she shows herself as a Christian to undisciplined opinions and words like yours.”
Look for No. 6 tomorrow. And in case you missed the ones that came before, here’s a list:
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