"I Failed My Son" — Why This Dad's Emotional Video About Down Syndrome Is So Important

It started in the aisle of a store with an overheard conversation about a movie whose protagonist has Down syndrome. Robb Scott heard a young boy ask his dad, "What is Down syndrome?" and the father respond, "It's an illness of not knowing anything." The exchange caused Scott to have an inner battle with himself over whether or not to correct the man's ignorance — he ended up leaving the store without saying a word.

"I failed my son. . . . I failed him in that moment," Scott says in an emotional video posted to Facebook after the incident. "Down syndrome is literally one of the most beautiful things that has ever happened in my life. It's fun. It's brilliant. It's amazing. It's funny. It's kind. It's loving. It's cuddly. They're great teachers, people with Down syndrome. It's not an illness."

Through tears, Scott continues to explain that his son, who has Down syndrome, has taught him that people are learners, as well as educators — no one's knowledge is any more or less valuable than another's. Although he ends the video saying he needed to film it for himself, it has been seen nearly a million times, and commenters seem to all agree that in making the video, he's proven he didn't fail his son at all, and that he's an amazing dad.

Watch the touching video to hear this dad's inspiring words for yourself.