If I upset/offended anyone by my seemingly fatecious remark concerning labels above, I am sincerely sorry....that was not my intention. It is just that the preferred politically correct term seems to change by the hour; I never know what to refer to anything as anymore, and I am just sick of it. Of COURSE I don't want to offend anyone, and would never do it on purpose. Too many words mean too many things, especially in English, and very few actually convey what is really meant. "Challenged" is one of my big pet peeves---I am "vertically challenged" and "mammarily challenged"---duh?
It has always seemed to me that the best word is "retarded"........mental development in some people is retarded, in the dictionary sense of the word; I do not use it as a slam, but as a descriptive term. If some of those affected do not like it, and I know that, I would not use it.
What about girl/woman/female/person; boy/guy/man/person, etc?
Whoops, sorry, PC just really gets me going, somebody come get this soapbox!! And Marion, what a lovely thing you are doing!!