Extreme Parenting & Inspiration

Have you read about this guy? The parentals were telling us about this inspirational family a while back, and then we caught them getting a special home makeover on the tube on Sunday night. Wow! It inspires us to be better people and parents.

This young man was born with what would be considered extreme disabilities. He is unable to see or use his legs. He needs 24 hour care. Despite all that, he is a travelling musician and speaker. He played in a marching band. How cool is that? He speaks about judging people by their hearts rather than their outward appearances. With great wisdom, he shares that life's challenges don't have to be roadblocks. Pure personal inspiration...

The parenting inspiration comes from his father. This man's father took a night job so that he could make sure that his son had opportunities. With less than 5 hours of sleep a night, he worked, and then helped his son take classes at U of L. Beyond that, he helped his son participate in the marching band! That meant daily practices, games and road trips, where he would push his son on the football field while he played his trumpet. That is sacrifice.

We have found parenting to be such a gift. If you stop to consider it all, life lessons just ooze from everyday experiences with your child. We take inspiration from watching our friends and family parent, and from men like this father.

As new parents, we are happy to worry less about us, and more about our kid(s). We are eager to put someone else's interests before our own. Could we go as far as this parent did/does? We hope so. Kudos to this wonderful dad and his VERY cool son.