Learning from Luna

I’m sharing an update about my last post, which received more attention than I am accustomed to. It got nearly 10K views and 100 shares across 64 countries, which blows my mind.

Quite a few people have asked me what has happened since the teenager in the dance studio made a nasty comment about Mira right in front of me. While I certainly had a few choice words for her in my mind, my logical side knew I had to be very careful in handling the situation. I am always aware that Mira is watching, and my reaction will shape how she handles conflicts like these in the future.

I decided to call this girl out in front of a room full of people, including her friends. She was visibly embarrassed but decided to respond with an attitude towards me. However, my point was made.

I woke up the following day feeling like I could have done more, so I picked up the phone and called the dance studio. It is a family-owned studio, and they handled it swiftly and appropriately. Every parent of every child in that class was called and reminded that there is zero tolerance for that kind of behavior in that dance studio. They were empathetic and reminded me repeatedly how much they love Mira and want her to feel comfortable in their studio.

To this day, I still get glares from the girl, but I reminded her early on that Mira and I would be there all year, so she should probably get used to us.

I also wanted to acknowledge someone who made that experience so much better. Luna is a 5-year-old who waits in the lobby with her mom while her older sister, Stella, dances in Mira's class. She has known Mira for a few years, as her sister and Mira are friends.

Stella, Mira & Luna

This photo is used with parental consent.

Luna caught a glimpse of my phone screen, which had a recent picture of Ellie and Mira together. She asked who was in the picture with Mira, and after I told her it was her big sister, Ellie, she seemed surprised that she appeared so tall next to Mira.

After she gathered her thoughts, Luna confidently said, “I don’t think Ellie has dwarfism like Mira. When you have dwarfism, your bones are small. That’s why Mira is small, but Ellie is tall.”

She then happily returned to twirling around the lobby, her moment of revelation having passed.

I was grateful to Luna for showing me that even a kindergartener can understand differences. I was reassured that there are good parents out there raising good humans and that there may be hope for the future.

That teenager could learn a thing or two from Luna.