When Benjamin was younger, Halloween was a very big deal. John has created many intricate wheelchair costumes. Honey, Target’s new line of wheelchair friendly costumes has nothing on you!

Benjamin’s costumes are a ton of work. They take hours and hours of shopping, planning, problem solving, and creating. As someone who has zero art talent, I am always floored by John’s creations.

It’s been a few years since John’s had the time to make an original costume, but this year Benjamin’s teacher asked us to help make his last Halloween in school special. So John spent a good 30 plus hours in the basement putting it all together.

Benjamin absolutely loves it. I know John agrees that Benjamin’s joy is worth all the effort.

Benjamin is worth every effort. I’m certain that everyone reading this will agree, but the truth is we still encounter people who don’t think the way we do.

Yesterday, for example, I posted an article about me and Benjamin in the local Patch on social media. A stranger remarked, “Women don’t have ultrasounds anymore?”

Now, I place this type of human being under a category I like to call A Whole Lot Of Normal I Wouldn’t Want To Be. That’s my defense mechanism talking-inserting humor into a bad situation. A situation where a person thinks my son shouldn’t have been born and that I somehow made a mistake in allowing him to be.

I’ve been in this parenting game too long to lose sleep over one person and their unfiltered, entitled, and unfortunate ways. Equality is always at risk of being disabled by those who create hierarchies and think too highly of themselves.

Some of us have obvious disabilities. Some of us have well-known, yet invisible disabilities. Everyone encounters disabilities-temporary or permanent-physical, mental, emotional….I think every minority faces some sort of disabling discrimination.

But Benjamin won’t be a victim. Not on my watch.

Because he’s worth every ounce of my effort.