We just returned from our 2/11 Wonder and had a great time :flower I had read a couple of unfavorable kids clubs reviews here, and was feeling a bit concerned, especially for my 4 yr. old son. He was born with a craniofacial symdrome, and as a result, his facial features (eyes, cheekbones, ears) are different in appearance. He is a healthy, happy, friendly little guy with normal development and intelligence, but is not always welcmed by peers in new social settings due to his differences in appearance. 
Over time my daughter (10) has developed gracious ways of responding to some "less than kind" comments from other children in play settings. For this reason, I encouraged my dd to hang out with her brother in the club while he first settled in. After a short while I returned to check on them, and all (ds 4, ds7, dd10) were having a blast - each doing their own thing ( Youngest involved in group tag with others his age). I checked with my daughter to find out if there were any concerns with her brother, and she did share with me that one child in that group of tag had run up to a counselor, pointed to my son, and shouted "his face is different!"
In response, the counselor paused, and with a calm and somewhat confused expression, politely replied," And... your point is..." My dd said the pointing child remained quiet for a moment and then ran off to play. And that was that.
In similiar situations, my dd would typically respond to such a child with some long sentiment of how God created us each differently, we are all special, etc. etc... and while there are many approaches to respond to such a comment, the counselor's simple words, politely stated, assured others that his different look was not an issue or concern. And he was able to communicate this without a long wordy explanation that might have left my son ( and even the other child) feeling uncomfortable. I was grateful.
And on a more general note, I hope I can encourage any other parents by sharing that during my (many) visits to the club, I observed the counselors supervising with care, sensitivity involvement and interest. I especially observed how they would respond to those children who looked unahappy, or were not as engaged as others during "free" time. They were invited to color, play, etc. one counselor plopped out the potato heads and played with one timid child for a bit, and others soon joined in. As I mentioned I stopped in often, and saw my 4 year old enjoying a wii tournament, group parachute play and on stage in a dancing game, to name a few.
All three of my children made special friendships and left with happy, memorable experiences. (And my dd also left with a new response she can borrow when confonted with a less than kind comment about her brother..."and your point is...?"
God is good
Over time my daughter (10) has developed gracious ways of responding to some "less than kind" comments from other children in play settings. For this reason, I encouraged my dd to hang out with her brother in the club while he first settled in. After a short while I returned to check on them, and all (ds 4, ds7, dd10) were having a blast - each doing their own thing ( Youngest involved in group tag with others his age). I checked with my daughter to find out if there were any concerns with her brother, and she did share with me that one child in that group of tag had run up to a counselor, pointed to my son, and shouted "his face is different!"
In response, the counselor paused, and with a calm and somewhat confused expression, politely replied," And... your point is..." My dd said the pointing child remained quiet for a moment and then ran off to play. And that was that.
In similiar situations, my dd would typically respond to such a child with some long sentiment of how God created us each differently, we are all special, etc. etc... and while there are many approaches to respond to such a comment, the counselor's simple words, politely stated, assured others that his different look was not an issue or concern. And he was able to communicate this without a long wordy explanation that might have left my son ( and even the other child) feeling uncomfortable. I was grateful.
And on a more general note, I hope I can encourage any other parents by sharing that during my (many) visits to the club, I observed the counselors supervising with care, sensitivity involvement and interest. I especially observed how they would respond to those children who looked unahappy, or were not as engaged as others during "free" time. They were invited to color, play, etc. one counselor plopped out the potato heads and played with one timid child for a bit, and others soon joined in. As I mentioned I stopped in often, and saw my 4 year old enjoying a wii tournament, group parachute play and on stage in a dancing game, to name a few.
All three of my children made special friendships and left with happy, memorable experiences. (And my dd also left with a new response she can borrow when confonted with a less than kind comment about her brother..."and your point is...?"
God is good
( good tears!)
