I just helped a mother who was likely suffering from mild retardation. Her son is going on a hike this weekend. She wants her son to be prepared, and for him to fit in as well. These are reasonable desires for a parent to have, and I applaude her on this. She wanted to know what he’ll need for a say hike. Being an avid hiker myself, I said, “Comfortable shoes, comfortable clothes, and water.” She thought he might need a walking stick, a compass, a knife, and a jacket. I agreed to a degree with the walking stick, but told her that above and beyond the general usefulness of the compass and knife, he likely owon’t need either for this particular hike. Then there was the jacket, which I told her was completely up to her. The group her son is in does not require the jacket. I told her the uses (beyond the obvious) for the jacket. I left the decision up to her. This was likely my downfall, as she didn’t seem capable of making her own decisions. Actually, the only thing she seemed able to do was ask me the same 4 questions over and over again, giving me the opportunity to test not only my mental abilities to answer the question in another way that gave her more information, but also my patience.
If I see her again, I’m running in the opposite direction.
My favorite is that her son, when asked whether he wanted the jacket, was indifferent and said it was up to her. Either he didn’t care, or he wanted her to make a decision on her own, too. I hope it was the latter. It would give me hope that he will turn out better than his birthgiver.
Venting complete.
Vote Quimby.