What's It All Worth?

You want your kids to be happy, healthy, confident, funny, independent, interesting, well-liked...all of the above and more. But what if you surround them with the same mold of person, same smell, same look, same interests, same cars, same homes, clothing, food...and then find out your child is different, not fitting the mold of 90% of the people around you. What do you do? Do you move? Not if you can't afford it or are quite happy in your space. Do you switch schools? Not if you're doing the public route and are secured into your ridiculously expensive real estate spot. Do you try and teach them it's ok to be different? What if that leads to teasing, ridicule and feeling left out. Do you turn a blind eye? Not if you want your kid to get punched, depressed or angry. So what do you do?

Well, you can quiz your friends in other areas and ask if certain scenarios exist in their communities. You can research these topics online until your eyes bleed and your wrist hurts from scrolling. You can talk to friends who are transplants from other towns, cities and states. And if your answers are not what you want to hear? (Or what you thought you would hear and now feel pissed?)

So what do you do? What's it worth to you in the end? How much are you really committed to forming what your child will be -- or should be -- to avoid pitfalls and bullying, teasing and pain from other children. We all want to nurture our child, help them be the best that they can be. But what if you see that what they can and will be will be a struggle for them before that peak at college? How do you foster that with pride and happiness, knowing that before that pinnacle of success, there will be the torment of failing at sports, style and class?

Being a parent is a tortuous route of self discipline and example. But what's it all worth when you know the pain and hurt your child will suffer for not being spent from the same mold? I will fight for my children and protect each of them for anything in the world. But I can't help think -- how will they know what I know when they just don't know...