When eight-year-old Clementine brought home the permission slip to join her school's running club, they hesitated. Her mom even went so far as to hide the form hoping her daughter would forget about it.
“My immediate reaction was if I just stick this paper over here she would forget about it, but she didn’t forget about it,”
You see, Clementine was born with Spina Bifida, a condition that affects her ability to move. Doctors told her parents she would probably be in a wheelchair the rest of her life. Her parents just didn't want to see her fail at something she wanted to do.
“This is, I think, the first time she’s brought something like this home and the initial reaction was kind of like, ‘ugh,’ because you hate to have your kids fail at something that they’re interested in, That was my first thought. This is going to be something that is just too difficult.”
I totally get it.
I was born with Cerebral Palsy and often failed at anything remotely athletic. But, blessed with parents who let me do anything I was interested in (track, wresting, basketball), I learned that you should at least TRY. If you don't TRY, you will never know. Clementine learned that lesson too:
“I didn’t really think I could do that, but now I can. Now I know I can."
That's what I'm talking about! #Inspiring