Kids learn about the world and how to behave with other people by first watching their parents and seeing what they do. If the adults treat everyone else with respect and care, then their little ones will do the same, and if they act entitled or rude, then that’s exactly what children will pick up on.
This is what took place when a blind woman bumped into a lady’s son. Instead of treating the visually impaired woman with respect, the mom got enraged and confrontational. Her young son then snatched the blind woman’s cane away.
More info: Reddit
Visually impaired people have to deal with a lot of obstacles in their daily lives, and sometimes, rude folks make things even more difficult for them
Image credits: MART PRODUCTION / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The poster shared that she had lost her vision in the last year due to a fungal parasite, and since then, she had been nervous to go out in public or on her own
Image credits: seventyfour / Freepik (not the actual photo)
When the poster went out to the grocery shop one day, she bumped into a kid and apologized, but the child’s mother got mad and accused her of faking her blindness
Image credits: Levi Meir Clancy / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Things got so heated that the woman’s kid snatched the poster’s $100 cane away and left her alone and vulnerable in the store
Image credits: HecateNocturne
Luckily, a kind man helped the terrified poster, got her cane back, and even guided her around so that she could get her shopping done
The poster explained that she had lost her sight after volunteering to help people who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. It had been difficult for her to adjust to the blindness, and since it happened, she had been afraid to go out as she felt everyone was judging her. She also didn’t know how to manage on her own.
People with visual impairments have to develop different strategies to help them navigate the outside world. Some folks learn how to time distances at home and outdoors so that they can estimate where they have reached. Another great thing to do is to rely on one’s ears more and use echoes to figure out a way around.
The woman used her cane and echolocation skills to get around the grocery store. She wasn’t fully adept at it and hence kept bumping into things. The issue began when she bumped into a child, whose mother immediately got mad and didn’t seem to understand that the poster was blind.
The mom kept insisting that the OP was lying about her vision. She also pointed out that the poster wasn’t wearing sunglasses. It’s important for folks to understand that blindness is a spectrum, and that not all visually impaired folks use a cane to get around, wear sunglasses, or present in the same way as others.
Image credits: Ben Iwara / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The other lady was being extremely rude to the poster and deliberately calling her a liar. This tense interaction between the mom and the OP might have spurred the kid into doing something disruptive. He snatched the poster’s cane, and his mom didn’t even correct him or stop him from doing that to her.
Although visually impaired people don’t expect special treatment, it’s crucial for folks to at least show them basic respect. What the mom and the kid didn’t realize was that by taking away the woman’s cane, they were cutting off her support system. Nobody should grab a blind person or their cane; it’s important to always ask first before intervening.
The OP was terrified when her cane was snatched because she didn’t know what to do or where to go. She must have felt incredibly helpless, but luckily, a man came to her aid. He brought her cane back, confronted the entitled mom, and then even helped her to complete all of her shopping.
Even though the poster had to deal with such a mean mom and child, she also got to experience the good side of humanity. Hopefully, through this experience, the other woman also got a reality check so that both she and her kid could become better human beings.
Why do you think someone would behave in such an entitled manner? Feel free to share your honest thoughts in the comments.
Netizens were shocked by the rude mother and son’s behavior and were glad that some helped the poster out in such a scary moment
