Being the mother of a child with a disability is challenging.
People often talk about the struggles, but they rarely talk about how rewarding it is. When one mother decided to record herself and her son, who has down syndrome, singing karaoke in the car for Down Syndrome Awareness Day, she never imagined so many people would view it.
Becky Carless from Coventry loves to sing with her son Archie, who is 4 years old.
She recorded herself and Archie singing “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. The lyrics to the song are beautiful.
“Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I’m afraid to fall?
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow
“One step closer
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don’t be afraid
I have loved you
For a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more
“Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What’s standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
“One step closer
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don’t be afraid
I have loved you
For a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more
“And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more
“One step closer
One step closer
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling don’t be afraid
I have loved you
For a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more
“And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more”
Becky wasn’t only planning on singing with Archie; she wanted other moms with children with down syndrome to join them.
She is a member of a social media group named Designer Genes. It is designed as a place for parents who are parenting special needs children to get support, ask questions, learn from each other, and even vent.
Other moms were just as excited to make the video as Becky and Archie. 50 other moms recorded themselves and their children lip-syncing the same song. Becky talked about her reason for making the video. She said:
“The idea is, we are just normal mums, we love our kids, they love us, and they are just like other 4-year-olds, we wouldn’t change them.”
Becky decided to make the video after watching another video called Signing Hands.
The video shows moms how they can communicate with their non-verbal children through sign language. She also asked that all the moms who participated sign along with the song.
The video shows how much these moms love their kids and how special people with down syndrome truly are.
It was uploaded just in time for World Down Syndrome Awareness Day 2018. It was shared hundreds of times.
According to the CDC:
“Down syndrome continues to be the most common chromosomal disorder. Each year, about 6,000 babies are born with Down syndrome, which is about 1 in every 700 babies born.”
These moms sure did show that there is more to down syndrome than just special needs.
They opened the world’s eyes to their amazing kiddos. They picked a beautiful song to use to honor their children, and they found a fun way to bring so many moms and kids together.
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