Caroline Boudet is mum to a gorgeous daughter named Louise, who has Down syndrome. After a series of negative experiences with people’s reactions to her little one, the mum-of-two took to her social media channels, urging people to think before they speak.
The devoted mum went on to share a list of all the inappropriate things anyone has ever said to her about Louise and her condition, in a bid to make people everywhere realise just how insensitive their words are.
“Please, when you meet a Louise, do not ask her mother, ‘Was it not detected during pregnancy?’ Either it was, and the parents took the decision to keep the baby; or it wasn’t and the surprise was great enough that there’s no need to revisit it,” wrote Caroline, candidly.
(English translation below!)[LES MOTS SONT IMPORTANTS] Elle, c'est ma fille. Louise. Qui a quatre mois, deux bras deux...
Posted by Caroline Boudet on Monday, June 8, 2015
On top of the above, Caroline goes on to ask people not to use phrases like, ‘It’s your baby no matter what’ and ‘As she is a Down’s baby, she will…’, admitting that even the wording of these is highly insulting and hurtful.
“I know that if you haven’t experienced it, you don’t think about it, but words do matter. They can comfort and they can hurt. So just give it a thought, especially if you’re a doctor or nurse of any kind,” Caroline added.
Caroline’s post, which originally appeared in French, has racked up over 26,000 shares already, with a number of parents taking to Facebook to thank her for echoing their thoughts and sentiments.
