Last week, Scarlett and I were out for lunch with some other family members, when she caught sight of a man who had prosthetic arms. Using the hooks on the ends, he deftly pulled a credit card out of his wallet and paid for his food. Scarlett stared. “Why does he have those?” she asked quietly.

I’ve faced a lot of curious looks since I got my walker, and now my wheelchair. Children will ask. Adults mostly do not. My least favorite times have been when I can hear a child ask their parent about me, and the parent shushes them or calls them nosy.

So my response to Scarlett was, “Ask him.” She did, and he told us that he was born without arms and uses his prosthetics to do everything he needs to do. Then he and I got into a discussion about asking. We both said we liked when kids asked. They’re curious, and we’re different. It’s ok. Read More>