Thursday, January 31, 2019

My Superhero: A Mom Reflects On A Child's Strength


Photo Credit: Lauren Sirignano

By Lauren Sirignano

This girl is my superhero. My everything. I think of what she’s endured in 2 1/2 years and I am humbled, proud and brought to tears by her strength.

We are about 2 1/2 months out from another string of surgeries for this beauty. I still find myself asking, why? Why does Althea Rose have to endure so much....

I don’t think I’ll ever have this answer, but what I do know is that she can handle it. It’s not fair, it’s not meant to be fair but Althea has a light and strength in her that I have never seen before.

She is not like anyone else. She is literally a superhero; in every imaginable way. I would not change this girl for anything in the world, I would only take away the pain.

Since Althea was born I have occasionally posted stories about the #choosekindness campaign and the importance of educating your kids to not only be friendly, but to be a friend. The stories I hear through our network are filled with hope, love and kindness, but you also hear some that rock you to your core with dread, sorrow and worry.

We are meeting to discuss Althea’s preschool plans in a couple of weeks and I am so excited for this loving, social butterfly to flourish in school. But if I’m being honest, this may scare me more than her surgeries.

I know Althea, I know her resilience, her strength, her stamina, her soul...however, I don’t know other kids...other parents, what’s being taught in other homes, and when talking about school and Althea, that scares me more than words can convey.

PLEASE teach kindness in your home, challenge your kids to be friends with anyone and to always look beyond what’s “normal” by society standards. Teach kindness now, and never stop teaching it.

Althea is a rockstar and will do well in school, regardless but our village can make it easier by teaching kindness to their littles. Pain comes in many forms, and choosing and teaching kindness over hate will help to eradicate possible pain for kids like Althea. Spread love.

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