As a teacher I understand the need for rules and standard operating procedures for the way things should work. But as a mother of a child who is not “standard” I know how hard these procedures make his life.
He is a soon to be teenage boy whose sensitivity still rules his life. He cries in sad parts of movies and he never wants to hurt anything. Yet, he fights the daily fight and the societal pressures of having to a “man”. Something I can not even begin to tell him what that actually means, except of course, crying is out.
He thinks “outside of the box” all the time. In fact, to get this kid in a box would take an apocalyptic force of nature. In some cases this makes the easy things hard for him because he complicates them with some crazy invention or need to make it big and more complicated. But his creativity is so abundant and his stories incredibly imaginative. It makes hearing his take on the days events and event in it self. It makes having simple conversations hysterical and fun. So much so often we get off track and forget to solve the issue at hand. His teachers find this frustrating and ask me to get a handle on this.
He loves with all his heart. His dog. His friends and especially his family. He doesn’t ignore our faults but rather loves everyone anyway. Most of the time he finds away to use your fault as something positive. He likes that I can’t cook very well because that means he can have chicken nuggets again for dinner and that is just fine by him. But he gets his feelings hurt so easy because he is so ready to give.
He lives his life in a constant cloud of frustration.
He can’t seem to find his stride in the world of unwritten rules and regulations. In a world where people don’t have the time to stop and understand him. In a world that sees him as a burden on their time, instead of a chance to understand something different.
How does one explain, even if people don’t want it, you still have something to offer? How does one help show someone they are not the burden, rather those without an open mind are? How can one help find a someone a place in a world which has met him with so much judgement and rejection at such a young age?
In a world of rules and regulations, procedures and paperwork, is there room for someone who sees no need for any of it and just lives life with an open heart and incredible stories?
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