Kelly Ripa Opens Up About Her Son's Dyslexia

Despite her incredible career in entertainment as an actress, dancer, and TV show host, Kelly Ripa has managed to find the time to also be a super-mom. The mother of three has spoken openly about her and husband Mark Consuelos' parenting style, saying that while it hasn't been easy, it's been like fine wine and gotten better with age. "As you get older and you learn more, that youngest kid hopefully benefits from a little bit more wisdom ... and hopefully fewer nerves," Ripa told People last year. Well it would appear that philosophy has certainly been true, as Ripa has recently shown an example of her parenting toward her youngest son that we could all learn a lesson from.

In an episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan on Wednesday, Ripa had an honest chat about a disability that her youngest son, Joaquin, has been dealing with throughout his schooling. As a result of him heading off to college soon, Ripa opened up about the road that has led him to this big moment, and the struggles he has faced to get there.

Kelly Ripa explained that her son has dyslexia and dysgraphia. According to Understood, both disorders affect learning as a whole but differ in how they present. Dysgraphia involves the physical act of writing, which can lead to illegible handwriting, slow note-taking, and even grammar and spelling issues. Dyslexia, on the other hand, makes reading a challenge. It can lead to issues with sounding out words, confusing the order of letters, and overall reading comprehension can be difficult.

Ripa said that her son's dyslexia and dysgraphia had been so "profoundly" disabling that they weren't sure what he would be able to achieve academically or professionally. "Mark and I were FaceTiming the other night ... Mark got very emotional, and very choked up, because he said, 'You know, I never thought he would be able to go to college.' Because he was profoundly dyslexic and dysgraphic," Ripa recalled. "But, kids with dyslexia learn how to read the room, they pick up on social cues ... their other skills become [stronger]," she added (via People).

Their young son never let these challenges get in his way — and now he's got a plethora of college options to show for it. Ripa says that "through hard work, determination, and remediation," he was able prevail, and they couldn't be prouder of him for it. Indeed, she adds that reading is "one of Joaquin's favorite things to do" (via ET).