So, you’ve got the news that your child has Down Syndrome. Maybe you’re not even sure what Down Syndrome is. Maybe you think ‘this is the worst day of my life.’

If so, logic dictates that, after 24 hours, the worse day of your life will be over! Done with. That’s a good thing, right? What you’re left with is an adorable little baby who will change your life for the better!

Many people have a preconceived notion that life will be perfect. After all, you’re perfect! You’ve lived a good life, so far, effused with high moral values, hard work, education, ambition, good looks and good health. Life should unfold, for you, in a neat, predictable manner. It’s so unfair! Life should be a constant momentum of improvement.

I am here to tell you that Down Syndrome can make your life better. So, what will you gain by having a child with Down Syndrome? How can this imperfect baby improve you?

1) You will learn patience. You may have to wait a bit longer for your child to talk, take those first steps. Your friends’ have made a contest of those accomplishments and swell with pride when their kid is the first one to yell ‘NO,’ because we all know that verbal prodigy is a sure indication of the content of the parents’ character. It is not a contest. Isn’t a bit absurd to pit babies against one another? Would you resent your normal child if he waited a few extra weeks to lift his head? If your ‘normal’ child is a bit smaller than your friends’ children – does that make you a loser?

2) You will learn the true meaning of love. Who is deserving of your love? Is there a system of protocols that must be followed in order to be worthy of your affection? Is someone less deserving of your love due to the size of the bridge over their nose or that fact that they are incapable of performing higher math? You will learn that love has no bounds, no rules or expectations, that love exists for all of us, that no matter what you look like or who you are or how many chromosomes you have – everyone deserves love.

3) You will become that open-minded person you’ve always secretly envied.

4) You will become fearless and worry-free. The one thing that will ruin your life, if you have a child with Down Syndrome, is to waste time and mental resources worrying about something that may or may not even come up. Worry makes you miserable, your family miserable; it makes you unhealthy and unattractive (that scowl is just not you). What is the sense of worrying about something when you’re not even sure what it is you are worrying about? 5) You will be a lot of really nice people.

6) You’ll save money on clothes. Children with Down Syndrome grow slower than average so you’ll get your money’s worth out of all of those cute outfits.

7) You will become more accepting of other people’s idiosyncrasies and less concerned with artifice and BS.

8) You will grow spiritually. The first step on the road to enlightenment is compassion. The Dali Lama says that you can’t walk that path without cheer.

9) You will psychologically benefit from giving of yourself and earn the love and admiration of your child with Down Syndrome and a host of others.

10) You may just learn the true meaning of life. I am not going to spill any beans, but the other nine points will lead you here.