What makes you YOU?

I've been thinking about what makes a person who they are. When you think about who someone is, you naturally think of physical features, as well as personality. When Harrison was born, he was blessed with funky hair, a strawberry birthmark on his back (not many people saw it before it faded away...) and an extra large belly button (umbilical hernia). He has gotten many, many comments on his hair & understandably so!

He has gotten comments on how large his belly button is by unsuspecting people who don't realize that it's not just a large belly button, but a hernia. The doctor told us that it should resolve itself by 2 years old. They also said that if it did not go away, it could be surgically corrected. When Harrison turned 2, they told us that it wasn't a pressing issue, unless it got larger or became a concern socially. This summer, when he attended summer camp, other kids started making comments about his belly button because it was visible when wearing a swim suit. That was the first time Harrison mentioned wishing he had a different belly button.

We have always emphasized to him that certain things make him unique (like his hair) and that if we took away the unique things, we would be diminishing who Harrison is. He has accepted his hair & loves the attention it brings. In fact, when he was younger he told the barber not to cut off his "sticking up hair" (as he lovingly calls it) or no one would know who he was. However, I don't want him to go through life hiding his belly button for fear of ridicule. The opportunity has come with our insurance situation to have the surgery done for free or cheap if we do it before January 1st. I'm nervous about the decision. I don't want to put my 6 year old through surgery for vanity's sake, yet I would do anything to save my child from the broken heart that comes from constant ridicule. We go to the surgeon for a consultation next week. I will ask a million and one questions, pray hard and then we'll have to make a decision. It's now or never...