Celebrity mom Saab Magalona has recently opened up about the challenges she experienced as a parent of a child with cerebral palsy. The podcaster-mom revealed that her son four-year-old Pancho has been subjected to "not-so-pleasant comments," as she and her family interact with people now that the world is opening up amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
She shared her thoughts about these unwanted remarks as she posted a photo of her son flashing a big smile on Instagram last October 7, 2022, a day after World Cerebral Palsy day.
In the caption, she wrote, "The world is opening up again. As much as we’re enjoying finally giving our children more opportunities to experience the world, unfortunately, we have also been subjected to some not-so-pleasant comments. Believe it or not, in just the past few weeks, we’ve been told 'sayang naman', 'gwapo pa naman', or 'awang awa kami sa anak niyo.'"
Saab admitted that she thought she was ready to deal with these comments, but things do happen differently in reality. She continued, "We thought we were prepared for this. That we would take it as a chance to educate people to choose a better way of saying things. But in reality, it’s way too shocking to actually respond in the moment so we just clam up."
The singer-content creator reiterated that her and husband Jim Bacarro's children, regardless of their disabilities, will always be their greatest source of joy. She wrote, "Here’s the thing: Pancho is our pride and joy. He’s our source of happiness. He may be dependent on us but we are also dependent on him. He makes life easier. Pure joy is no longer sought, instead it’s something we experience on a daily basis."
"Being parents of a special needs child can be challenging, but it’s also a privilege and honor with rewards beyond our wildest dreams," she continued. Saab reminded everyone that parents and their children with disabilities need our respect more than our pity.
This story originally appeared on Pep.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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