Dad Responds to Hurtful Observation About His Son With Down Syndrome

Rick Smith, father and creator of the popular Down syndrome awareness blog “Noah’s Dad,” recently shared his thoughts on Facebook after a child made an unkind remark about his son.

Noah, who will turn 5 this December, was diagnosed with Down syndrome shortly after he was born. Smith has documented his family’s triumphs and struggles over the years on his blog, and though he revealed he was initially sad to hear what the child said about Noah, he was able to find a positive take on the situation.

On Oct. 6, Smith posted the photo below of his son and wrote on the “Noah’s Dad” Facebook page:

Today when I dropped off Noah at school on my way to work a little kid came up to us and said ‘His face looks silly.’ I don’t fault kids because I know kids don’t mean anything hurtful by it, they are just making an observation. It did, however, make me feel sad for a brief moment as I thought about all of the things people are going about about Noah his entire life. But then I thought about how much of a gift Noah is to our family, and for all the great friends we have that love Noah and don’t see a ‘silly face’ but a little boy full of worth and purpose.

In just two days, more than 30,000 people liked Smith’s post, and more than 2,000 shared it on Facebook. Many showed support by sharing their own photos of loved ones with special needs.