One of these days my two daughters will likely be teased, picked on, perhaps even bullied for being “different” — maybe for not being tall enough, skinny enough, smart enough, athletic enough, pretty enough, (whatever) enough.

Enough.

Unfortunately, it’s all part of childhood. It’s all part of the awkward adolescent years. Geez … I know a lot of adults who still don’t feel good enough about themselves.

I’d like to teach my girls very early on to embrace what makes them different, whatever that may be. Diversity is a beautiful thing. As they say: What a boring world this would be if everyone was exactly the same.

Kari Kay, author of "Floppy Cat," based her children’s book on the life of her real cat, Floppy, who was born with a balance problem that turned his normal feline gait into a staccato strut, making every step a challenge.

Kay is using his trials as a metaphor for the differences children are prone to spot.

“Floppy was born with very little balance control which made his daily life very difficult,” Kay said in a press release. “He had two other siblings that were born with the same challenges.

“They laid around most of the day letting their challenges get the best of them, while Floppy reacted differently. He spent his days taking on one adventure after another. Rarely did you see Floppy in one place for very long. Floppy enjoyed his life, never letting his challenges stand in his way of having fun.”

Kay offers great tips for children and I thought they needed to be passed on:

• Keep your head held high at all times. No matter your situation, always have faith that being yourself is more than enough to making the most out of life.

• Don’t let challenges hold you back from doing or getting what you want. Life isn’t always going to be easy, but that doesn’t mean you should let its challenges hold you back. Facing them with a smile can be your strength.

• Figure out what you want and go for it and be willing to learn new things. It’s sometimes easier knowing what you don’t want than what you do want, but once you’ve figured it out, you should be more like Floppy, who didn’t let anything stand in his way.

• Believe in yourself. Use your uniqueness to move forward in life. Being different isn’t a burden, but rather, it’s a gift. Use it to your advantage instead of letting it hold you back. Your ability to overcome adversity will inspire everyone around you.

• Stay positive. Look for the good in every situation. Even at its worst, life can still have its good points, if we only look for them. Floppy wouldn’t have had to look far to find doom and gloom, but instead – no matter what – he could always see the good in every situation.

“If you want to live life to the fullest – stay focused on what you want, look for the good, and never, never let challenges stand in your way as obstacles,” Kay said. “Rather, you use them as opportunities to grow and become all that you want to be.”

Tags: differences, Floppy Cat, Kari Kay

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