When Yarraka Bayles did something most mothers do, she didn't expect to have such a negative response. Yarraka posted a video of her 4-year-old son Quaden playing in front of the mirror.
It was on her personal page, so she didn't think much of it. Then, all of a sudden, she was swarmed with negative comments about her son's appearance. Many called Quaden "ugly" due to a condition he has called achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism.
Yarraka has been campaigning to spread awareness about the condition because it is less common in Australia, where she lives. Needless to say, condition or no condition, what kind of adult bullies a child about how he or she looks?
This isn't the first time a mother has had to stand up for her child against other adults. Becky Ketarkus was humiliated when another mom pointed out her daughter's rare eye condition, but she stood up for her baby girl as any mother would.
Thankfully, both Yarraka and Quaden are resilient. Yarraka isn't letting the negative comments get to her and instead is turning the attention she is getting as a means to spread more awareness.
See the full story below.
Yarraka Bayles posted a photo of her 4-year-old son, Quaden doing adorable things on her personal Facebook page. Quaden was making funny faces in the mirror and Yarraka thought it would be cute to record him.
She didn't expect to get a flood of nasty insults and comments about his appearance.
Some of the comments said things like "s*** what an ugly kid," "look at that little midget," and "crack house kid."
Instead of getting mad, Yarraka took the comments in stride.
“There are so many uneducated people in the world — it’s really sad that they don’t get to see the joy. I would love them to come and spend the day with us — I invite them. He’ll change your mind the first minute you meet him.”
Quaden has become used to the bullies, although she hopes that by spreading awareness about dwarfism, that someday that might all change. “He’s very articulate so he’s learned to let us know what he’s not comfortable with. If he sees people staring, he’ll say ‘what are you looking at?’ I get quite embarrassed,” Yarraka said. “He sees people staring before I do sometimes, but I don’t want to be one of those parents waiting for people’s reaction to him. We just go about our normal day.”
“We’re raised strong and we instill that in him, but it’s going to happen and we’ve got to expect it. Every video we upload, I share it because it makes me laugh and I’ve seen the effect it has on other people. Unfortunately some people will judge him on his physical appearance and think otherwise, but they’re really not worth the energy," she said.
Ultimately, what's perhaps most inspiring is that Yarraka sees the negative comments as another way to spread awareness. So many people shared the video to spread their negativity, but in the process they were actually sharing Quaden's story.
"Thanks to the haters for making my son more famous! Whether it's good or bad it's still getting our story out there and I will continue to share our journey so thanks for coming along for the ride," she wrote on Facebook.
See the cute video of Quaden that caused all the controversy below.
Do you think it's OK to make comments about a child's appearance? Let us know in the comments!
Please SHARE to help Yarraka spread awareness about dwarfism and to show others that just because a child is different doesn't mean he or she isn't beautiful!
