In the past couple of years, I’ve started stuttering openly and talking about it. Some people have been supportive and said they never noticed, but others refuse to believe me. Even my own father denies I’ve stuttered my whole life. He claims he “knows how to fix it but won’t tell me until I’m ready.” I’m like, What? Tell me now! But he won’t. It’s bizarre. I was a covert stutterer for most of my life, so it wasn’t obvious. Whenever I tried to explain it to my father, he’d dismiss it, telling me to “think before I speak” or “talk slower,” as if that would solve it. Now that I’m open about my stutter, I’ve realized some people won’t accept what they can’t easily see. It’s frustrating, but I’ve learned to stand my ground and educate when I can—though I often face hostility, which makes it even harder. Regarding what happened in my post, I was with some friends when one of them said something dark like, “Don’t have kids—they cause nothing but pain.” I replied, “Don’t worry, I’m not. I wouldn’t risk passing on my disability”.