These days, social media is the main tool of communication for many. Sharing pictures of your kids enabling friends and family to stay updated is a common practice.
However, this young mother’s experience with social media is markedly different as the comments her pictures receive and how her child is treated are distressing. But she has a few things to say…
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A post shared by Natasha Kent (@risewithraedynhayz)
Natasha is a young mother navigating the complexities of parenthood. Like many, she enjoys sharing pictures of her one-year-old son, Raedyn, online. However, unlike most mothers, she faces intense online bullying based on her son’s appearance.
She posts videos with Raedyn on the popular social media platform TikTok, where each post attracts dozens if not hundreds of comments urging her to stop sharing his images.
Natasha offers a powerful message to her critics: “I will not stop… just because he looks different doesn’t mean he is any less – he is perfect,” she asserts.
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A post shared by Natasha Kent (@risewithraedynhayz)
She receives countless messages questioning her son’s appearance, with comments like, “What’s wrong with your child? Why does your child look like that?”
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Little Raedyn was born with Pfeiffer syndrome, which causes abnormalities in the skull, face, and limbs. For Natasha, her little boy is perfect, prompting her to post videos of him frequently.
Yet, people can be cruel. Natasha recounts some of the common comments she receives, such as, “What quality of life will he have?” or another person rudely adding, “Why would you make him live like that? Such a miserable life that you’re permitting him to live.”
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A post shared by Natasha Kent (@risewithraedynhayz)
If online trolls weren’t enough, Natasha also encounters insensitive remarks in person. When out in public, people often approach her with rude questions such as, “What’s wrong with your child? Why does your child look like that?”
Natasha finds it exhausting to constantly explain her son’s health issues: “It’s exhausting to explain my son’s health problems over and over,” she shared.
She is puzzled by the overwhelming interest in her son merely because of his looks. “He lives a life like every other child… does he look different? Absolutely – but that doesn’t make him any less,” Natasha emphasized.
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A post shared by Natasha Kent (@risewithraedynhayz)
Emphatically, she adds, “He deserves life, he deserves acceptance – I will fight until my dying day for that.” She does not appreciate unsolicited concern, particularly when she is approached by curious strangers while going about her day.
“What people need to understand is that I am just a mom and my son is just a baby… our life doesn’t revolve around his diagnosis,” Natasha expressed.
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A post shared by Natasha Kent (@risewithraedynhayz)
She acknowledges the emotional and mental toll of repeatedly sharing her son’s story: “My son looks a little bit different, but that doesn’t mean he is just a lesson for the world. It’s exhausting mentally and emotionally to go over the same diagnosis and explain my son’s health problems over and over.”
“We are just a normal family. I pray for the world to accept disabled people one day and not judge them based on their appearance and the things they cannot do.”
It is disheartening that even today, people are quick to judge those who differ in any way. We can only hope for increased kindness and acceptance.
We extend our love to Natasha and young Raedyn. Join us in sending them your good wishes as well.
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