This Mom's Inspiring Message To Her Son's Bullies Is A Lesson For All Of Us

After learning of her adopted son's problems with bullies at his school, a West Haven, Connecticut mom penned an inspiring message on Facebook reminding others not to judge before learning the whole story.

On January 11, MaryAnn Parisi wrote,

Michael was born at 26 weeks. Just over 3 months premature. He spent the first 3 months of his life fighting to survive. Shunts, blood transfusions, etc. His mother left him 3 months later. He has survived failure to thrive and numerous other health issues to become the strong, healthy boy he is.

Parisi explains that her son's premature birth resulted in a slew of health problems, many of which he gets bullied about by peers at school:

He didn't learn to talk till he was 3 years old. Walking was very delayed. He didn't have teeth till after his first birthday. He was so very behind. But he loved.

When a teacher at Michael's school notified Parisi of the severity of the bullying the boy had been subjected to, Parisi stepped in with the inspiring message. She wrote,

You don't have to like him, but you do have to respect him.

The Facebook post has since gone viral, with over 2,300 shares to date. Parisi told Fox News her message has gotten the reaction she hoped for, “and then some.” She adds,

Any form of bullying is not okay, if this helps in some small or large way, then it has done so much more than allowing an angry and hurt mom [to vent].

Check out the post, below.

This might be long winded. I apologize for that. We all have children in our lives in some way or another, I challenge... Posted by MaryAnn Parisi on Monday, January 11, 2016

Citations: This Moms Post Shutting Down Her Sons Bullies Is the Most Powerful Thing You'll Read Today (Cosmopolitan), West Haven mom writes powerful Facebook post to her sons bullies (Fox News)