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This is what family is all about. And this is also what inclusion is all about. We can all learn a lot from this story, whether you are an adult or a young person, because it’s a true lesson in how to treat other people.
Carissa Brealey Bonacci is a mom in New Mexico and she recently shared a Facebook post and a video about two of her sons and the beautiful gesture her son Aidan made for her middle son Isaac, who is intellectually disabled.
Be sure to read all of Bonacci’s post and watch the video at the end of the article.
Bonacci wrote on Facebook:
“My middle son, Isaac, is severely intellectually disabled and rarely gets to participate in the same activities as his siblings. When Isaac started high school this year, my older son, Aidan, convinced me to let Isaac join the marching band. Isaac cannot play an instrument and needs constant supervision, so I was extremely skeptical.
But marching band is Aidan’s family-away-from-home, and I was touched at how much he wanted to share that with his little brother. I caved, and I’ve been blindly sending the two of them off to band camp and rehearsals for the last six weeks. I figured Isaac was helping set up equipment or run water bottles, and he came home every day very happy and chatty. What more could I want?
Last night the boys had their first marching performance of the season. Isaac did not set up equipment or run water bottles. He PLAYED. He played percussion just like his big brother. He stood front and center in the percussion pit and totally jammed on a drum pad. The pad muted his playing, which was pretty off-beat and completely out of sync with the rest of the band, but he had the time of his life. I bawled.
The band director has thanked me for allowing Isaac to be part of the band, and Aidan has told me many times how much everyone loves having Isaac there, but I don’t think I really got it until last night. I’m so used to Isaac being treated like a burden (with varying degrees of patience and tolerance), even by relatives. Seeing him be so thoroughly appreciated for who he is (and not judged for what he isn’t) is something I never expected outside our family. I just had to share. I couldn’t be prouder of both my boys.”
Here is the video.
A heartwarming story, to be sure.
