I know every mom says the same thing about her kids, but Sam has such a good heart! I sometimes hear girls her age make fun of others, be mean to each other, pick on each other etc...that is not how Sam is. She is nice to everyone in her school, accepts everybody the way they are, doesn't care about superficial things and really treats others well.
I guess today at school they had to write a holiday wish list and here is what she wrote:
Now, when I saw this my first reaction was to be really surprised because Sam doesn't care that her sister is different. She knows a lot of little people and truly doesn't care about the fact that they look different than her. She actually is proud of her sister's difference, just like we are.So I asked her what made her write that and she said that it hurts her feelings when she hears people making comments about Anaïs or making fun of her. Yes, we sometimes hear kids (or grown ups) comment on how Anaïs has a big head, or how her legs are so short, or that she looks funny etc...
We as parents learn how to deal with these things and even if it still hurts every time, we just put on our strong face and keep going. But we have to remember that this is hard on our children, they have such a pure heart that it hurts them so much when they are confronted with the harshness of our society. This was a good opportunity to talk to Sam about her sister and to tell her why people might make fun of her. Not everybody is lucky enough to know someone "different", someone who is so special that they change you forever for the better. We are the lucky ones and those people who make fun just don't know any better and how much they are missing out. We are the ones with a fuller life, a life filled with amazing people. A life filled with love and compassion and not hatred.
So please, if you read this take the time to talk to your children about the fact that people come in different sizes, shapes and colors and that it is the very thing that makes this world a better place.
8 comments:
Wow. What Sam wrote really hit hard. It stirred up all of those initial emotions again, the ones I felt when we first learned of Jacob's achondroplasia (it still happens once in a blue moon). It is amazing just how intuitive and connected kids are -- much more than adults realize. Ignorance and the evil that it can produce is a hard lesson for Sam to learn at such a young age, (especially for one so pure of heart) BUT...I am SO SO proud of you, Alex for teaching her with such beauty, grace, and love. Thank you so much for posting this!
What a beautiful post! I admit, I had a few tears reading it because you have such a beautiful family both in and out and I can relate having an older brother for Kaela and his worries for her. I do believe our children will be better people because we do live with difference in our lives, and I'm so thankful for it just as you write. You're doing a great job!
Like Ethan, I am glad that Anais has a sibling to share life with. What a lesson in unconditional love you, Rachel and the other moms are teaching your children!
I had tears just thinking of how cruel the world is these days. We do hear the comments and see the stares...We talk to Anne all the time about it and how people just don't understand how to react to such a special person. We truly are lucky to have been given such a gift of having an LP and having our POLP family to share these moments with. Happy Holidays to you all!
Great post - Thank you for sharing!
jodi- mom to Alex( also has achondoplasia)
Your girls are blessed to have each other. I'm an adult LP and my sister and I are still very close - and she still frowns when people stare at me.
Sounds like both girls are off to a great start. btw - I share Anaise's birthday - June 6.
Alyce :-)
Gosh. This really made me tear up. I know how it feels as a parent to hear comments about our babies, but I haven't thought about it from a sibling perspective. I guess we will deal with that one down the road. Anais is so lucky to have such a kind hearted sister. Sam is one awesome kiddo!
Sam is such a wonderful big sister. What an amazing gift for Anais to always have someone who will look out for her and be her best friend! The world is tough, but I can only hope that since our kids are shown so much love and support, they will always walk with their heads held high!
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