As I write this post today I am mad and frustrated with what I am reading in the news. I have a fire in my belly. I am far from perfect. I tell my friends weekly that I am for sure not in the running for mother of the year for at least the next 5 years. I try, just like everyone tries but I do not always succeed. Today I opened my computer to see an article of individuals talking about my daughter and her friends in a negative tone, well…It infuriates me. Disregarding there lives like they don’t matter…..talking about their purpose in life like they are a piece of furniture with a fabric that is not appealing. Are you kidding me. Look in the mirror, are YOU perfect. Are there people lining up to know you? OK, so your a news reporter and could possibly answer yes but what if you are a unemployed news reporter are they still lining up to be your friend? What if all the money that filled your accounts is gone, still? HMMM something to think about.
Just because my daughter and the other individuals living with an extra chromosome struggle in different areas of their lives and have to work harder to achieve what comes easy to others, they don’t deserve to live? To be a part of a family? a marriage? a job? They are a burden on society, REALLY?
There are 2 Mamas in a hospital right now with their son who happens to have an extra chromosome, YES born with Down Syndrome. Praying that the doctors surrounding their son can work miracles to save his life. A life that they very much value. They are not alone there are hundreds of others praying for the health of this sweet very valuable young boy. Some how today these comments and this article just rub me the wrong way. People sitting around speculating what they feel is right and what they consider valuable. REALLY lady! Life is a little more then the “perfect” family. Life is about feeling, loving, growing and learning. None of us have the ability to define the path our lives take us on. The only control we have is how we handle it. How we react to it. That is what we have to live with and that is what defines us in the end.
Disabilities are scary, I am not here to say they aren’t. It is not always about us the parents. It is about the child or individual who has a special need or disability. There is no guarantees in life and when life doesn’t go our way it is heart wrenching for everyone. Respect the millions of individuals living with disabilities in this country. Respect the families and friends who love someone with a disability. Encourage media to focus on stories that matter and not opinions of individuals who frankly have no idea what they are talking about.
Send people to the IDSC website for the facts on our children with Down Syndrome. Pass around their photos and SHARE how these individuals are living full and very happy lives. They are not just taking up space. They matter and they are important. I am one of the Mothers who knew her child would be born with Down Syndrome. I was scared, my husband was scared, our family was scared but the fact that my daughter would be born with an extra chromosome was out of my control. I am not a person who lives comfortably in a life that is out of my control, who does? It was Gods way of telling me to sit back and wait…..wait for the blessing he would bestow on our family….wait for the lessons….wait for the experiences…..most importantly wait for the love.
So I am asking for people to stop talking about MY daughter. Stop talking about my friends daughter and her friends son. Stop talking about the thousands of individuals living with a disability. Stop using the word Retard and stop talking about their life like it does not matter. It is time for everyone to look in the mirror and remember why we are here on this earth. What is your plan? What is your foot print? How will you get the most out of YOUR life, maybe your taking up space.
This is not my style. I do not like to preach but tonight I have to stand up and say it is not ok. It is not ok to belittle any individual. No one should be made to feel they are a mistake or a burden. Our society needs to stop and think before they speak. When you live to be the best person you can be, when you have gratitude for what you have been given, your blessings far out weigh your struggles.
Be kind, think before you act and if you are a family out there with a loved one who happens to have a disability stand up, make yourself heard, it is our responsibility to educate. OXOX
