this is a sponsored post on behalf of Avéne USA; however all opinions are my own.as the big girls approach kindergarten next year there are many things that I wish I could protect them from. October is ‘bullying awareness month‘ and I was recently introduced to the story of Carissa- a sweet girl that has been bullied most of her life due to the way she looks.  one thing I’ve learned as my babes have gotten older is that kids in general are relentless- including my own. my first experience with this sort of thing surprised me a bit. it happened at the end of the school year.. Jolie came home from preschool and announced that she no longer wanted to sleep with Puppy (her beloved stuffed dog she has carried around since she was 8 months old).  I couldn’t figure out the sudden change and I might have been more upset than she was because Puppy was HER THING.  she loves her Puppy and for as long as I can remember she’s carried that dog everywhere we go. as she’s gotten older Jolie has been willing to leave him in the car while we run errands, be separated for “baths” in the washing machine, and play without him by her side 24/7- but he’s still close.  one thing that always went hand in hand with Puppy is thumb sucking. any time Jo had Puppy in her hand she stuck her thumb in her mouth out of habit.  I finally got it out of Jolie that she didn’t want to suck her thumb anymore because a classmate at school teased her about being 4 years old and still sucking her thumb. it broke my heart that she took those words straight to the heart and decided on her own that she wasn’t going to let anyone tease her again about it.  I reaffirmed Jo that she was a big girl and didn’t need to suck her thumb anymore but that those kids don’t have to be the reason she stopped.  she could do it on her own if she wanted. as a parent, I hurt for my child.

Carissa looked different than others and she was recognized for it on a daily basis.

Carissa has a very severe case of eczema that she’s suffered from since infancy- leaving her skin raw, red, and irritated. kids at school would tease her and make claims that she was contagious. no child deserves to feel this way and no child deserves to be bullied especially for a disease they have no control over. what suffered more than Carissa’s skin was her self-esteem.  she felt like a monster when asked about how her condition- all the teasing and bullying left her full of sadness + emotional insecurities.

Carissa was treated at the Avéne Hydrotherapy Institute and has made amazing progress using their products.

while there is no cure of eczema the right treatment can manage and relieve the symptoms. in her honor Avéne USA has put together a kit of skin care products specifically for sensitive skin. 100% of proceeds will go to the KIND campaign that runs through the month of October. I wanted to share her story in hopes that it will inspire others to spread kindness! to learn more about Carissa’s story and to watch her video visit www.aveneusa.com/HOPE.