Thank you for this message. I am a retired special ed teacher who often finds myself drawn to families who are out and about with their special children. But even after so many years of interacting with families and children with special differences, I find myself unsure of whether my smile and my greeting will be welcome. Now that I take my two young grandchildren out with me, I am even more tuned in to the need to tread carefully.

For me, the larger lesson is that there is no “perfect”, there is no “normal”. I want my grandkids to know that we are all ok just as we are, and that we all benefit when we welcome everyone into our circle.