We took Addy and her wheels "out on the town" (aka, shopping at Target) for the first time tonight. I've heard horror stories about ignorant/insensitive comments made to/about people who use wheelchairs, so I was completely prepared with snippy come-backs if we got any nastiness from anybody and I tried to keep an extra eye out for any suspicious looking trouble makers. I am pleased to report that not a single person said anything negative (within earshot of us at least) and only a couple of kids did a double-take to watch her in her wheels. However, when we got home I realized that I hadn't enjoyed our outing as much as I could have because I had spent the whole time being on the defensive and ready to fight. Now I'm mad at myself for not having more faith in my community. But I'm not naive and I know that there will be a time when we will face a bully and I don't really want to be caught off guard when that happens. Oh, the struggles of parenthood.
(On a positive note, Addy did awesome in the store and kept a pretty decent pace while we picked up a few things. She had a tendency to want to wander around the store, but part of the point of the trip was to get her used to having the freedom to explore where she wants to. Definitely mission accomplished in that regard.)
