Stacey Jackson Gagnon goes to church with her family each week.
However on this particular day, her eldest son was speaking about his camp experience, so the family attended a new church instead of their usual one.
When the service finished up for children's church, Stacey walked her three kids to the meeting room for children.
But when she arrived, the room stopped and stared in silence, some even pointing.
Now, Stacey was prepared for the stares, unfortunately this isn't the first time it has happened, and she was ready to educate these children on why you shouldn't stare.
However, something different happened on this Sunday, she didn't educate, or lecture, or advise on what is 'different', she simply left the room with her son Joel.
"Joel was born with a cranio-facial impairment. He is missing an ear and some bone structure. I know he looks different, but today hurt."
You see, when Joel entered the room alongside his mum and saw the reactions, he walked to a corner, laying his head in his arms in an attempt to hide.
The mum-of-six explained: "My heart sank and the room remained silent as I walked back to Joel. I touched his shoulder and he raised eyes shiny with tears and a face red with shame."
"I knelt down and asked, 'do you want to leave?' 'Yes', he whispered, and he stood and ran from the room."
The pair left the room and went back into the church, Joel sitting on his mum's knee, writing 'Joel loves Mum' on Stacey's palm, and Stacey welled up with tears, knowing that her son deserved more.
"In the past, I have always stepped into the role of teacher to educate kids. This has happened before, and I would step in and talk about differences, but today I did not."
"Today, I did not teach someone else's kid because I was too busy holding my broken-hearted son," added the emotional mum.
Nonetheless, Stacey recognises that these kids who point and stare are not at fault, they don't know any different, they're just kids.
Instead, Mum is calling on parents to start educating their children: "Teach your children that many people look different. Show them pictures of people that look different. And then explain that it is not okay to stare at someone that looks different, it's not okay to point."
"Teach them that my boy is the same on the inside as your child is.[...] He does not like people staring or pointing out that he looks different. He [doesn't] need this pointed out, it's something he lives with everyday."
And Stacey isn't angry; she just wants parents to educate their children on the differences in this world, and how what people see on the outside does not reflect what's on the inside.
"Take a moment tonight and talk about what to do when you see someone that looks different, [...], show them children with no hair, without an ear, without an arm."
"Take a moment and share all kinds of different. Now teach your child that a beautiful person is found with the heart; not the eyes."
This message is too important not to share, well done to mum for speaking out.
