When you have a physical disability, you often need to use assistive devices to get around, and there is nothing wrong with that because assistive devices are freedom, not restriction. Most adults view assistive devices as something bad that we should pity disabled people for, but kids love them and think they are the coolest thing ever. When a child sees my crutches often, they will pick them up and start playing with them. I used to let kids play with my assistive devices because when you normalize them at a young age, it’s not a big deal when you get older. I think it’s important to teach children that assistive devices are someone’s mobility aid, because when you educate your kids on disability, it turns them into ableist adults. Kids are always curious about my assistive devices and want to play with them, but I never let my nieces play with them, and they know my assistive devices are off limits. Why don’t I let children play with my assistive devices? In this post, I am sharing why I don’t let kids play with my assistive devices.
I don’t want them to associate them as toys- I have four nieces, and when my first niece was born, I would occasionally let her play with my crutches, but then I got to thinking that maybe that’s not a good idea. Kids are fascinated by crutches and will play with them if you let them, which is why it’s so important we teach our kids that they are not something to be played with unless you ask. I stopped letting my nieces play with my assistive devices because I want my nieces to learn that my assistive devices are something that helps me get around, but they are not toys. Kids often are rough on things, and I don’t want them throwing my assistive devices and breaking them. My crutches will not break if you throw them one time, but if you repeatedly do that, eventually you will loosen the screws, and I will have to buy new crutches. I am not trying to spoil my niece’s fun by not letting them play with my assistive devices. I want them to grow up understanding that assistive devices are someone’s mobility aid, not something to be played with. You will have a hard time doing that if you always let kids play with your assistive devices.
Kids often run off with them and don’t bring them back– One of the main reasons I stopped letting kids play with my assistive devices is that they often would run off with my assistive devices and not bring them back. I got tired of having to crawl in the other side of the house to get my crutches because one of my nieces were playing with them and didn’t bring them back to me when they were done like I asked. As a physically disabled person, I am not able to move without my assistive devices, and if kids take them from me and don’t bring them back to me, I am not able to move. Kids are smart and catch on pretty quickly that I can’t chase after them, which is why I have boundaries and don’t let them play with them. I don’t want to crawl around my house for thirty minutes trying to find my crutches because it makes my life so much harder.
Kids sometimes put my assistive devices in their mouth- Sometimes I will occasionally let older kids play with my assistive devices, but I will not let any child under the age of two play with them. Young kids often like to suck on my assistive devices, and putting my crutch tip in your mouth is gross and can cause illness because that is the part that touches the ground. There are some areas of my crutches, such as the handle, that I clean regularly, but my crutches are dirty, and I don’t need children getting sick themselves or getting me sick because they licked the handle of my crutch and I forgot to sanitize it.
Sometimes kids hit me with my assistive devices- Kids sometimes will pick up my crutches and start hitting me with them or other kids because they think it’s some kind of game and funny. My crutches are mostly metal, and it hurts when someone hits you with them, so I don’t let kids play with them to prevent injury to myself and others. Most kids think they are playing some kind of game when they are swinging my assistive devices and aren’t trying to hurt anybody, and the only way to keep everyone safe is to put your assistive devices off-limits.
Assistive devices are someone’s personal property- One of the things that I try to teach my nieces is that my crutches and wheelchair are my personal property, and they are not something we share. It is so important that we teach that to children to ask before picking up someone’s assistive devices because you don’t want them to see a pair of crutches and think it’s okay to run off with them. Assistive devices are someone’s personal property, and if you let your kids take that away from someone, you are limiting a physically disabled person even more than we already are.
Assistive devices are something that most adults view as bad, but kids love them and want their own pair of crutches. I think it is so important to educate kids on mobility aids so they can grow up knowing that assistive devices are not something bad we should get rid of, but something positive that we should praise. I wouldn’t be able to leave my home without my assistive devices, and I want my nieces to know that my assistive devices give me freedom even though sometimes my physical disability prevents me from doing some activities. Teach your kids to respect assistive devices because if you let your kids break them, you are taking away someone’s independence. Some disabled people may let children play with their assistive devices, and there may be some instances where I may let children play with my crutches, but most of the time I do keep them off-limits. It’s not because I don’t want children to have fun, and sometimes I don’t let kids play with my assistive devices because they are too hard on them. Do you let kids play with your assistive devices? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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