Boys...

This is a topic that may seem a bit odd, but I promise you that if you have a daughter born with one arm or any difference this will be something that will cross her mind. At the age of 10 when I began to have a "crush" I never questioned if they would like or not like me because of my arm, either way it would not have made a difference to me at that age. But then came my teenage years, I can remember my first boyfriend, and luckily he never cared if I had one arm or two... he liked me for who I was. That relationship was at a young age and of course was bound to end. It did. Then my freshman year of high school that ONE BOY came along... the one who told me he liked me but later that week I started to hear rumors that spread like wildfire. Rumors that were very hurtful to me and who I was as a person, they were of course about my arm and I did not want to believe them. I was strong enough to stand up and ask if if what he had said was true, he clearly told me yes, he had indeed said those things to others around him. In my mind there was no logical reason why he would say those things, why anyone would care what was on the outside; but the reality of life is that there is always going to be someone who does not look at the things that truly matter. You may ask yourself why I am telling you this? Well, from this I learned that no guy deserves you if he cannot accept who God has created you to be. 

        Now, I will promise you girls and boys, that one day you are going to find the most kind, compassionate, loving, and caring significant other that you will ever dream of. Do not continue to set your standards lower because they haven't shown up yet, I promise you one day they will. There is a plan and timing set for each phase in life. Always remember that if they do not accept who you are, they are not worth it, and do not deserve you.

You are probably wondering if I ever found someone who did like me for who I was. The answer is Yes. There is going to be more people who accept who you are rather than those who do not. Although I remember the first guy who rejected to like me because of my arm, I also remember the first guy to ever love me because of my arm. If you read this thank you. You see at the age of five I told myself that one day I want to find a guy that will hold my little arm as if it is a normal hand. I do not know why this was so important to me but it was a dream of mine to find that one guy. It took 16 years for him to show up in my life, and I'm sure there will me other men to do the same, but my point is that it takes time. No guy is the same but I promise you girls someone will accept all of your flaws and insecurities. There also most likely will be more than one man to do so.

My biggest advice is that he does exist and be thankful for those guys who do not accept you for who you are because its an automatic sign that they are not the one that you are suppose to be with.

Sarah Stump