From a very young age, the children at Richie Anne Castillo’s school made her know that her father was different. But she wouldn’t change anything about her dad.

Almost everyone has experienced the cruelty of children.

It’s so important for parents to teach their kids that it’s ok for someone to be different. But sadly, this message is not communicated enough.

The first few years of Richie Anne Castillo’s childhood were happy and carefree.

She had two parents who loved her more than anything.

But then she went to school, and the bullying started. The target of the bullies wasn’t Richie Anne herself, but the girl’s father.

On the first day of school, the children could tell that the dad looked different. They asked their parents what was “wrong” with Richie Anne’s dad. From that moment on, Richie Anne would live a school life filled with mockery over her father’s Down Syndrome.

“As a kid I didn’t see you as different. I saw you as my dad. I didn’t understand why they were making fun of me and calling me abnormal. I understood this later on and it made me a coward.” – Richie Anne Castillo.

The other children led Richie Anne to feel ashamed over her father. He had done nothing wrong, but the children made her believe that he had.

So Richie Anne would spend less and less time around her father. He felt incredibly upset, and he wanted more than anything else to connect with his daughter. But he didn’t know how to do this.

Eventually, Richie Anne grew up and moved out of her home. When she became more independent and spent time away from her family home, it made her realize how she had acted all those years.

Her father had given her so much love, and what had she done in return?

So she made an effort to contact her father more.

One day, she apologized to him for how she had acted. She explained that there was nothing that he could have done better. But now she would go out of her way to spend as much time as possible with him.

This year, Richie Anne’s father turned 50. On his 50th birthday, Richie Anne opened up about her feelings online for the first time.

She explained to the world how the bullies at school had led to her shunning her loving father.

Later she opened up about her father’s condition and how he had had to receive many, many surgeries. But despite these, he would often have a smile on his face and often remain brave.

She also revealed that at times, he struggled. He would break down and feel so tired from all of the medical procedures. Seeing him like this would make her cry for days.

But most importantly, she revealed that what she especially loved about her father was the joy he brought others.

She stated that he was always able to put smiles onto people’s faces and make them laugh with his jokes.

Richie Anne ended her message by telling her father that she loved him.

She posted the message onto her Facebook page. But what she wasn’t expecting was the major reaction it would have online.

To date, over 245,000 people have reacted to the post. It also has over 6,600 comments and 75,000 shares.

People have been saying things like this:

It just goes to show that it is important to reach out to those whom you have hurt and do your best to show how much you really appreciate the ones you love.

See Richie Anne’s full message below:

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

https://www.facebook.com/richieannecast/posts/10219066476708370

Source: Richie Anne Castillo/Facebook