Former Vice PresidentJoe Bidensaid this week it took years of practice, confidence and reinforcement to overcome a childhood stutter — even so, he still occasionally struggles with it to this day.
On Wednesday, the2020 Democratic presidential candidateopened up about his history with the speech impediment during aCNN town hall, describing it as a “debilitating situation.”
“Stuttering, when you think about, is the only handicap that people still laugh about, that still humiliate people about,” he responded when asked about advice to give to someone with a stutter. “If I said to you when I was a kid I had a cleft pallet or a withered arm, no one would smile.”
“I didn’t have professional help,” he continued, going on to credit his mother for instilling confidence in him.
“I had a mother with a backbone like a ramrod,” Biden said. “She would look at me and say ‘Look at me Joey, you’re handsome Joey, you’re smart, you’re a good athlete Joey. Don’t let this define you, Joey. Remember who you are.'”
He said his mother’s words would “reinforce” him, which “really matters.”
Believing in your child is important, Biden explained. In his view, “the worst thing a parent can do is finish a kid’s sentence.”
Though Biden admitted he still stutters “occasionally, when I find myself really tired” he has made tremendous strides with his impediment, now using his experiences to help others.
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Joe Biden in November 2019.Meg Kinnard/AP/Shutterstock
When an audience member shared the story of a struggling student, Biden said, “I’ll give you my phone number … they can call me. I’ll give you a private number.”
Biden has been open about his speech problems in the past, including in a recent article inThe Atlantic. He’s said it’s been decades since he stuttered like he did when he was growing up.
Hewas similarly candid to PEOPLE in 2011, recounting painful childhood bullying that he endured because of his stutter. “You get so desperate, you’re so embarrassed,” Biden remembered then.
He has also spoken out about how PresidentDonald Trumpreminds him of the bullies who made fun of him for his speech when he was younger.
source: people.com
