Content
Yes I always stutter when I say my name. I get the "do you not even know your own name" question a lot as well. One particular time that sticks out in my mind and that I always remember was when I was about 8 or 9 and went to swimming lessons with my school.(it was something that the school organised every year for us). When we first got in the water the swimming instructor,a guy in his 20s or 30s,told us his name and went around to everyone and got them to say their name. I was one of the last to be picked and was dreading my turn. When my turn came I just blocked and stared at him with my mouth open. He could obviously see that I was struggling and instead of offering me encouragement or just simply being patient and saying nothing He said "what's wrong do you not even know your own name". At this I became even more stressed and it became next to impossible for me to say my own name. Thankfully my best friend saw that I was struggling and told him my name ( I had asked him before to just tell people my name if I was really struggling). When my friend had told him my name instead of just carrying on with the next person the instructor looked at me,then my friend and gave me a smirk before asking me "what is he your spokesperson". This made me feel horrible I just looked at the water while he and a few other kids had a good laugh about it. I had never felt more ashamed and worthless in my life and although I had been laughed about before for my stutter this was the worst up to that point. The thing that really crushed me was that this instructor was supposed to encourage and support me but instead made a laughing stock out of me in front of my whole class when he could clearly see that I physically couldn't say my name. I remember just holding back the tears for the entire lesson and then just broke down crying in the changing room after. That was probably one of the worst experiences in my life and I will never forget it or forgive the instructor for making me feel so ashamed of the way I talk.