"All parents want their children to be loved and accepted. But when you have a child with special needs, there is also a burning fear that they won't be," Mum-of-two Chrissy recently wrote on Facebook.
A mum to two boys with autism, Chrissy has had to deal with her fair share throughout the years; and all she wants is for her sons to be accepted and loved by others.
Explaining that Greyson is stubborn, makes weird ticking and humming noises and doesn't sit quietly or nicely, Chrissy admitted that he is not always aware of what his body is doing.
"And sometimes Grey yells. A loud, disarming kind of yell," she continued.
"I imagine if I had autism and could not speak - but desperately wanted to - I would probably yell too.
"We are working so hard to give him the tools to express himself, so he can feel less frustrated. Life isn't always easy for him."
Giving us a glimpse into the kind of people, Chrissy, Greyson and her youngest son Parker have had to deal with, the mum admits that she has been witness to times her sons have not been accepted.
Even by adults.
"All parents want their children to be loved and accepted. But when you have a child with special needs, there is also a burning fear that they won't be.
"There will be times you see this happen first hand and you can feel it crush the shiniest parts of your soul. You see hope spill out onto the floor in front of you. And when it comes from an adult who should know better, it pulls the air right out of your lungs."
Highlighting that it is easier to love people in words, the mum continued:
"We all say we love and accept people who are different. And I think we mean it.
"It's so easy to love people in words, but so much harder to do so in action. Because there's usually an unspoken parenthesis after saying 'I love and accept all people'.
"A parenthesis that says: as long as I am not disrupted or inconvenienced. As long as you follow my same moral compass.
"As long as you don't look different. As long as I do not have to hire you. As long as I don't have to sit next to you.
"As long as I understand why you do what you do. As long as you do not make me feel uncomfortable. As long as you fit inside my mould."
Admitting that she wishes she was the one who is different instead of Greyson, the blogger said she prays her son will be accepted in this one life that he has.
"It's not his fault that he is the one that is different. I wish making the world a more accepting place was like writing a term paper - and I could stay up all night and do whatever it takes to make that happen.
"But instead, here I sit here with swollen eyes doing the only thing I can do. Share my heart and my words to give you just a glimpse. And beg you to love different in action, not just in words.
"Perhaps if we all love enough together, we can overpower the ones who hate. Grey's different has made me into a better person than I ever could have been on my own. You may just find yourself learning huge and beautiful things about the world by letting a little different into your life too."
You can read Chrissy's post here.
