2. July 2009 by Colton.

The other day, my Mom and I were having breakfast at our favorite breakfast place. Sitting across from us were two middle aged women who were also having breakfast. As we were eating, my mother noticed one of the women staring at me.  She then said to the woman she was with, ’Kids these days. They have no manners at all. That boy over there is chewing with his mouth open and holding his fork like this’  (and she proceeded to imitate the way I grasp my fork).  My mom was furious.  She stood right up and walked over to their table, informing them that I have Cerebral Palsy and cannot coordinate chewing, swallowing and breathing at the same time which is why I cannot close my mouth entirely when I chew.  She also informed them that my disability impacts my fine motor coordination as well, and that I hold my fork the way I do NOT because I have bad manners, but because it is the only way I am able to grasp it in order to avoid spastic tremors in my hands. If I held my fork the proper way, my hands would shake so bad that my food would go flying!  She told them that I was a very well mannered kid, and that I have had to work hard my entire life to be able to do the things I am able to do today.  She suggested that in the future, the woman refrain from casting judgements on other people, especially when she doesn’t know the circumstances.  My Mom also reminded her that not everyone has been blessed with the abilities that we often take for granted. 

I felt bad for my Mom, because she had tears in her eyes when she returned to the table.  As we were leaving, she stopped at their table once again, and handed each of the two women my business card for ColtonCares.com.  She said maybe there will be one less ignorant person in the world. 

The situation frustrated me because the people shouldn’t speculate if they do not know the situation. I cannot chew while keeping my mouth closed.  Aside from being unable to coordinate chewing, swallowing and breathing at the same time, my tongue has limited mobility, so I have trouble manipulating food in my mouth.  I cannot hold my fork properly but that is because of my Cerebral Palsy, not because of my manners.  I know how it is supposed to be held, but my hands just can’t hold it that way!  It can be embarrassing, but I do the best I can.  When I get frustrated by my own imperfections, or aggravated by other people’s comments, I remind myself that I am lucky.  Some kids cannot feed themselves, even in their own adaptive ways like mine.  I am not angry at those women, because if I didn’t have CP, it would be bad manners to chew with my mouth open or hold my fork the way I hold it.  I just hope they stop to think next time, and maybe give someone the benefit of the doubt before casting judgement.  Things aren’t always the way they appear to be…

Posted in Colton McGrath | Print | No Comments »

30. March 2009 by Colton.

I am glad that I now have a laptop to use instead of a Alphasmart which is just like a keyboard. It is much easier to use a laptop instead of just a small keyboard. At recess, it was hard to catch up to my friends. I just run until I catch up to them, I don’t stop. I do not like reading out loud because I am a little insecure about how my voice sounds and what other people think about it. I just deal with it though.

Posted in Colton McGrath | Print | No Comments »

10. December 2008 by Colton.

Today at school I had a good day. It is a pain though sometimes to print out my work and hand it in on time. That is because I have different classrooms and different teachers. Sometimes a paper has to be passed in in class but I have to go back to my homeroom, print it and get it back to my other teacher right after class which is a pain too. I also had an assistive technology appt. at Children’s Hospital in Waltham. I talked to someone about how I should get my work passed in in time and she had a couple ideas. I will also have a laptop that i can bring with me to each class which will be a lot more convenient.

Posted in Colton McGrath | Print | No Comments »

11. November 2008 by Colton.

Sunday way my birthday so I am now twelve years old. I had a big sleepover for my birthday with all my friends. We got no sleep. We just stayed up all night. Today was Veteran’s Day and I didn’t have school so it was a nice day to stay home and relax. Happy Veteran’s Day!

Posted in Colton McGrath | Print | No Comments »

13. October 2008 by Colton.

Today is Columbus day so I had no school. I went to Easter’s breakfast restaurant for breakfast before we hung out at Borders book store and read. We were there for probably 2 or 3 hours. I liked that a lot. I had a great day today.

Posted in Colton McGrath | Print | No Comments »

12. October 2008 by Colton.

Today I watched football most of the day. My favorite thing to do on sundays is relax and watch football. Today though, I did play baseball during halftime. I hit five four baggers during that time. A home run is over the fence in my grandparents’ backyard. I had a great day today.

Posted in Colton McGrath | Print | No Comments »

3. October 2008 by Colton.

Today, I had school. At my first recess my friends raced but I said I would be the referee of who won because I knew I would not stand a chance to keep up with them.  At second recess, I went on the swings but I realized I wasn’t going as high as the other kids were. I wondered if that was because my muscles are too tight and less weak or if my thinking was off the mark.  

Posted in Colton McGrath | Print | No Comments »

18. September 2008 by Colton.

This special Saturday meant a lot to me when my mom got married. It was great! I got to be the best man. I had the honor of giving my stepdad the rings. Then after the ceremony, we went outside to have dinner. I liked the food, it was good! Then I said a speech. Nice short and quick. Then we did the dances. That was very nice. My favorite part was after that when everyone danced to fun songs. I also liked video recording the dancing. My mom looked so beautiful.  I had lots of fun playing with my little cousins and we all loved it. My little brothers look so cute in their small tuxedos. I’m so happy for my mom!

 Congratulations Mom and Dad! 

Posted in Colton McGrath | Print | No Comments »

30. July 2008 by Colton.

Today, I went to the IMAX theatre in Redding, MA to see The Dark Knight. It was a very dark, scary movie but it was also a good movie. Earlier today, I visited my dad. We went to my grandparents then I just came home. I had a great day today.

Posted in Colton McGrath | Print | No Comments »

15. July 2008 by Colton.

Today I went to Canobie Lake Park. Canobie Lake Park is an amusement park with a big water park also. My favorite part of Canobie Lake Park is a big rollercoaster ride called “Corkscrew”. I went to Canobie Lake Park last year and the Corkscrew was my first upside down roller coaster ride that I have ever been on. I liked it a lot so I went on it a couple of times today.

The bad thing about Canobie Lake Park is that it is a very large amusement park. It hurts my legs sometimes when I have to walk a long distance. I used a motorized wheelchair so that I didn’t have to walk. It went very slow but it was a heck of a lot better than walking the whole time. I had a fun time at Canobie Lake Park.

Posted in Colton McGrath | Print | No Comments »