What's your child's super power?
On Friday night (well it was Friday morning for me) I had the huge privilege of hearing Rachel Callander speak at an event in Melbourne. Well, she was in Melbourne, I was watching live from my front room here in the UK.
I first met Rachel at a conference in Sydney, in February 2018. She told me her story, about her daughter Evie who was born with a rare genetic condition, and her experience of the negative language she experienced through her interactions with the medical profession. She described how when completing developmental forms, she couldn’t tick a single box, and it seemed that somehow Evie had no value.
And, like any parent, she knew that although Evie couldn’t meet the developmental expectations, she had a value, and in fact, she had a superpower. She decided to put her fine art and photography training into practice and created the Super Power Baby Project.
On Friday Rachel shared her story, in far more detail, to a standing ovation. And it reminded me that no matter how hard life is for my son, and for us when he is struggling, he has some amazing gifts.
He has an amazing memory which allows him to not only repeat what someone has said perfectly, it allows him to watch a dance routine and then re-create it himself. He has helped us be better parents, we are more empathetic, more understanding and more forgiving, not just of him, but of others we encounter. When I’m out in public and I see a child having a melt-down, I no longer judge, I look for ways I can help the stressed parent who may just have a child with superpowers.
As one of the parents in Rachel’s book says of her daughter:
She changes people, their perspective on what is important and brings out the best in them inspiring them all in the process
— SUPER POWER BABY PROJECT
Like a gemstone is rarely perfect, it is their imperfections and flaws which make them even more intriguing and precious.
So, as the new school term approaches, I encourage you to consider your child’s super powers. I’d love to hear what they are.
