After passing a curious child at the supermarket, Melissa Schlemmer, a mom of three, was dismayed to hear the child’s mother subdue her curiosity and interest in learning of Melissa’s 8-year-old son, Christopher, who has special needs and is a wheelchair user. Melissa’s older son, Alexander, was pushing his brother around the store with gusto, grabbing a pineapple and plums from the produce aisle, while a little girl watched Christopher closely and said: “Mom, that looks like a wheelchair.” Her mother’s instruction to her daughter of “Shhhh… just keep walking,” left Melissa reeling. The mom hurried both her kids away, leaving Melissa with the fallout: sadness, indignation, and confusion. In retrospect, Melissa said she wished she would have said that it’s okay to be curious, it’s great to ask questions, and it’s fine if the little girl talks to Christopher herself. In fact, she’s invited. “He’s a little boy, just like …