Choose Kindness

When do we learn hate? At what age?

It’s a question I’ve been thinking about for days now.

I share these three boys and our family on Facebook. I do it for a few reasons.

I want to normalize autism. I want to remove the stigma and fear from the word. I want to show the possibility. The reality. The hope and the joy.

I want to educate the person who knows nothing of disability. So when they meet a child or adult like my son, they give grace. And ultimately say hi.

I want to show that our family is every bit ‘normal.’ We may be more colorful than most but we are also nothing special.

Some days I love sharing our life. The humor. The joy. The hard. The love. Some days I loathe it.

Because with transparency there is backlash. But lately, it’s been below the belt. And I can’t help but wonder, when do these adults, these men and women in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s learn hate.

Because these three boys embrace differences. They aren’t afraid. They don’t lash out at what’s different.

My oldest son is ridiculed for his weight and because he wears leggings. Well, his weight gain is med related and honestly, shouldn’t a child’s weight be off limits? And the leggings, well, he loves them. They make him happy. And that’s what matters to me. I don’t care what my son wears.

The baby is ridiculed because his hair is longer than a boys should be. And I’ve heard it all. I’ve heard I’m neglectful, I’m making him gay, I’m embarrassing him, and so on.

Well, it’s covid and we aren’t jumping at the chance to cut his hair. Plus, he likes his hair. We like his hair. And we will love him unconditionally whether his hair is long, short, green, or rainbow.

These three brothers love each other dearly. They don’t care about hair or weight or leggings. In fact, I don’t think they’ve even noticed such trivial things.

I can’t control how the world sees them, but I can do everything in my power to control how they see the world.

And it will be with kindness.

Teach your kids please that differences are okay. Because someday they may see a child on the internet who wears doughnut leggings and speaks with a computer and not know how to react or what to think. Or a boy with long hair or a girl with short hair.

We want them to choose kindness.

Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook, subscribe for exclusive videos, and subscribe to our newsletter.