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An AfFARE to Remember



Hey everyone! This past Sunday my son and I worked one of the tables at the local FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) walk in Maryland. It was a beautiful day and a great event. What struck me the most, however, was my 11 year old's metamorphosis. Most of the time, I'm telling him to "cut it out," "calm down" or "stop being so silly and focus." I know, these are typical statements used in reference to most 11 yr. old boys! Nevertheless, what I witnessed this past Sunday was eye opening. Here was a boy full of poise, maturity (always relative) showmanship, salesmanship and totally being in the moment.

For the first time in a very long time, he was able to be himself without worrying that someone was judging him as "weird" for having a food allergy. He talked to little kids and shared his experiences, and just as easily conversed with adults, impressing them with his allergy acumen and his passion. Who was this kid?

I have always firmly believed that doing good for others makes for a well rounded child, yet due to  generally letting life and all it craziness get in the way, we haven't done enough of it lately. What I witnessed this past Sunday only reinforced the idea that gratitude and good deeds truly are an essential part of our children's upbringing. Sometimes we need reminders to just smack us in the face bringing us out of our complacency.

Below is the link to the live impromptu video we did on Facebook. I love this video because it truly demonstrated our genuine feelings about the day along with our gratitude to being an important part of something greater than ourselves.


https://www.facebook.com/rachel.o.packer.7/videos/10210696648880763/

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