I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but I have a beautiful little girl, she's almost a year old and I wouldn't be a true mom if I didn't whip out a cliche on this one, but she's my world. What parent wouldn't do anything for their child? It's a bond like no other and until you have children, you will never truly understand it. I would walk on hot coals, dive off a building, swim through shark infested waters for my little angel but I read a story this morning that disturbed me. It's about a mom who would literally do anything for her down syndrome child which includes finding someone for him to have sex with. Say what? I did a double take after reading that.
Otto is 21 and he was adopted as a baby by Lucy. She raised him and loved him and I give her a lot of credit for that, it's not easy to raise a child and it's even harder to raise a child with a disability. Otto made headlines when his mom started a campaign to find someone to 'pop his cherry', I almost spat coffee all over my computer when I read that and what's even worse is that a production company contacted them and asked if Otto would like to do the deed with Rachel Wotten, a 32 year old prostitute, who provides sex for disabled people. Is that some sort of specialist prostitute?
This strikes me as just a little bit sick. Luckily, Otto declined all offers and is waiting for Mrs Right instead, clever guy. I'm trying to wrap my head around this one and I keep coming up blank. What was she thinking? It tells me that we live in a world obsessed with sex and the importance of getting it. I'm not saying that it must be easy for this young man, he probably has a hard time trying to find someone but it's humiliating for him as well as his mother to broadcast that to the world and then make it okay when all else fails to hire a prostitute. I'm not against prostitution but what kind of world do we live in where there are people who will have sex with the disabled for money? Are we not pushing the boundaries a little too far here?
I'm trying my hardest not to sound like an uptight prude but everything about this story makes me sad. Otto, sweetie, give it some time, you're young, there is a girl out there that will love you for who you are, trust in that, until then let your mother stay out of this one because you clearly have more common sense than her. I'm still a firm believer in love and the power of it, what the hell is wrong with that?
