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Mom's Twitter plea: Stop using the R-word!

By Kristin Kalning“Retard.” Maybe you started using that word on the playground, to describe someone who still believed in Santa Claus, or who always got nailed in dodge ball. And maybe you still use it, as an adult, for the same reasons you say “da bomb” and “bling” – because the kids use it, and because it gets a laugh.But it’s not at all funny to people with learning disabilitie

By Kristin Kalning

“Retard.” Maybe you started using that word on the playground, to describe someone who still believed in Santa Claus, or who always got nailed in dodge ball. And maybe you still use it, as an adult, for the same reasons you say “da bomb” and “bling” – because the kids use it, and because it gets a laugh.

But it’s not at all funny to people with learning disabilities, and the people who love them. To them, it’s cruel. It hurts.

Today is Spread the Word To End The Word day, sponsored by the Special Olympics. That's why magazine editor (and mom to a special needs child) Ellen Seidman did a little Twitter project. She set up alerts for tweets that contained the word “retard,” and then messaged them to let them know that the r-word is pretty offensive. She details her experience – both saddening and life-affirming – in a beautifully written post on her blog, Love That Max.

Check it out, and then let us know what you think. Have you ever heard your kid use the R-word? What did you do?