She Asked Her Friends To Quit Treating Her Like She’s Fragile And Can’t Do Things For Herself Just Because She Has Cerebral Palsy
This young woman is 28-years-old and has cerebral palsy, which can impact her mobility and make her really tired from time to time.
“But I’ve learned to navigate life with it, and honestly, I’ve managed to build a pretty fulfilling routine,” she said.
She currently lives by herself and works full-time. She also really enjoys her life. The only thing she has to rely on is a mobility aid – specifically a crutch – whenever her legs “act up” on some days.
Additionally, she has a solid group of friends who she thinks are great. She feels like they’ve always been inclusive and supportive of her.
Still, there are a few specific friends – particularly those she’s known since childhood – who have been acting differently as of late.
Recently, she noticed that they’ve started treating her like she was fragile or, in her words, handling her with “kid gloves.” And it’s really beginning to bother her.
“Every time we hang out, they hover around me as if I’m going to break. It’s like they think I’m made of glass,” she explained.
For instance, they recently went over to a friend’s house for a game night and ordered some pizza. She was excited to eat, too, so when the food arrived, she stood up and went to grab a plate.
Well, this caused one of her friends to swoop in and start rushing to help her. They even claimed that she shouldn’t “overexert herself.”
Drobot Dean – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Later that same night, she also tried to pour herself a drink when a different friend literally grabbed the cup out of her hand and instructed her to sit down and relax.
“I know they mean well,” she admitted, “But it was really annoying.”
That’s why, after a few more similar incidents, she finally hit her breaking point. She confronted her friends and said that while their concern was appreciated, she was not a fragile child. Rather, she could do things for herself, by herself.
“And I said I want to be treated like everyone else, and that constantly hovering over me makes me feel like they don’t believe I can handle everyday tasks,” she added.
After this outburst, most of her friends went silent, and the rest of the evening was pretty awkward.
Once the game night ended, some of her friends also reached out to her individually via text. They all swore that they were just trying to be helpful and never intended to make her feel that way.
So, on the one hand, she feels guilty for snapping since she knows her friends genuinely care about her.
“But I also feel frustrated that they won’t trust me to know my limits and capabilities,” she vented.
Now, this has left her wondering if asking her friends to quit treating her like she’s fragile was really so unreasonable or not.
Do you think her friends meant any harm? Even so, did she need to set that boundary for her own sake? How would you have reacted in this situation?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
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