Tonight Emma and I had a heart to heart. She has been acting very sad lately and hasnt wanted to play with her friends. She has been very lethargic and just not her normal happy peppy self...I had no idea the conversation I was walking into... Emma is having a VERY hard time with the new meds shes on especially the prednisone because it has made her face extremely puffy (medically this is known as Moon Face). As you can see in the picture, she looks VERY different. She has been told by different kids that she looks chunky, that her face was fat and that her face was chubby. She said people look at her with sad eyes and she hates it. All of this has broken her heart. For over a year she has also struggled with the hair on her arms and legs that has come thanks to years of steroid use. She is terrified to start a new school with it...here was my conversation: Me: Dont be afraid...its going to be fun to make new friends. Emma: No, its not going to be fun with a fat face and hairy arms and legs because kids will make fun of me! Then I will have to tell them about having CF and I dont want too. Me: (trying not to cry) First, you dont have to tell anyone anything. If they make fun of you or say anything just tell them its from your medicine and its not nice to say mean things. If they keep on...tell me, Ill sit on them and smash them like a pancake. Hahaha Emma: laughter Me: Explaining why kids can be mean some times...then...Get in the car...we can take care of the hair with a trip to Target!! Yes...I took Emma to Target, and bought her some hair removal. We came home and had a lesson, I expected would come in a few more years on having smooth legs...a little while later...my sweet girl who was in tears just an hour earlier rubbed her smooth legs and arms with the biggest smile on her face...and whispered Mom, this is the best day ever!! As a Mom, I have encountered, the best moments of my life. As a mom to a child with a terminal illness, I have walked through the hardest, most heart wrenching, devastating moments of my life. Looking into my daughters tear filled eyes tonight, was one of these times. But by the grace of God...He carried us through...just like He faithfully does each time...and well it became, the best day ever!! Friends...so often, we forget that kids speak their mind and dont think about how their words can hurt someones feelings. As parents, its easy to blow it off or say theyre just kids, they dont understand. But Im here to tell you...the words they speak can and do have a lasting impression of the lives of others. Tonight, I challenge you to consider talking to your kids about how to love each other despite our differences. To not let hairy arms, a different skin color, crutches, a wheelchair, an oxygen tank, or chunky cheeks define them. Teach your kids how to speak with kindness and to build each other up. Imagine the difference we can have on others going through a hard time if instead of pointing our their flaws, we love them for their uniqueness. Remember, be kind...everyone is fighting a battle you know NOTHING about.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 06:54:30 +0000
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