Dear Prudence,
I’m a college student. I was born without legs, and I’ve lived my entire life without them. My grandmother recently entered a retirement home, where she’s discovered a fascination for YouTube shorts. She now sends me videos about people with random disabilities—including a quadriplegic bride, athletes with prosthetic limbs (which I’ve never used), blind children learning how to use a cane, and stroke victims learning how to walk. It just feels like any time she sees a video of someone with a disability she thinks, “Oh, I know who’d appreciate this—my granddaughter who uses a wheelchair!” I know she means well. Or maybe she’s trying to say, “Why aren’t you doing more with your life?” Either way, I think it’s kind of weird and I’d like her to stop. My mom and brother think I’m being too harsh and that I should just let her love me the way she does. I want to find a way to gently tell her that her heart is in the right place but I’d rather she send me the same types of videos she shares with the rest of my family.