Do you see things on Facebook that you find offensive? I'm not talking about grammatical errors and spelling mistakes (although, yes, those are annoying), or the fact that your brother supports the conservatives (equally annoying). I'm talking about comments, posts or photos shared that have you shutting down the computer in disgust, and going to rant to your husband about the insensitivity of other human beings. Today I commented on a photo that a friend had shared, and was appalled to see someone else commented using the R-word. What she was really trying to say was that the photo (and situation/context) was ridiculous or stupid. Instead, she used a derogatory word - perhaps because she is unaware of its meaning, or perhaps because she is just plain mean.

If this woman was my friend, I would have sent her a private message and kindly asked her not to use that word anymore. But because she was a friend of a friend, the situation was a little awkward. So what I decided to do instead was to share this wonderful website with all of my Facebook friends, so that we could start an important conversation - hopefully one that might continue at the dinner table tonight.

This is not about being "politically correct" - this is about recognizing that a word is offensive and hateful, and should no longer be a part of our vocabulary. People with intellectual and/or physical disabilities do not deserve to be associated with a word that means "dumb" or "stupid."

So check out this great website with your children, and start a discussion. Spread the word to end the word!