Who's Different?

Finally, a chance to sit, down, collect my thoughts and share them with whoever wants to read them.
Last week I got a call from Kellyanne's school with a description of the behavior that makes us question, "is it or is it not a seizure".  Probably, yes. I went to observe her, even though she was back to "normal",  to see if there were some lingering effects that would give me a clue as to what had happened. Not really much to see.  Just a little girl in the library checking out her books.  We are so fortunate to have the relationship that we do with her teachers and that we live so close to the school that I can pop in and observe for myself.  It was the end of the day so she chose to ride home with me instead of the bus.  When we got home she had that glaze in her eyes that made me want to take her temperature, Sure enough 101.4 - that was enough to explain what happened at school. whether it was the fever or a seizure one can't know, but it did keep her home from school for the next 2 days.

Over the weekend, Michael (husband, not son) participated in the Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Special Olympics.  It was a beautiful day for us onlookers, obviously cold water for the plungers.  It was amazing to see so many thousands of people doing something as crazy as jumping into the freezing cold bay - and raising so much $$ for such a great cause.  We hope to get Kellyanne involved in Special Olympics soon.

Last night Kellyanne had her first gymnastics class at The Little Gym.  As Michael and I watched with an equal mix of nervousness and pride, we were amazed by the staff, who helped her do the things the other children were doing.  Kellyanne is very cautious, so sometimes it is necessary to give her that little push and say you can do it.
I of course was holding my breath the whole time, praying that she would follow the directions, wait in line and "fit in".  She did a pretty good job : )   About 1/2 way through the class you could see the other kids look at her and realize, 'there's something different about this kid'.  That's when I want to step in and say "You're right, there is something different, let me explain why she is different".  I think when you can recognize the difference and speak openly about it, educate and answer questions, kids then stop thinking about it.  It's like "oh, okay" and  they move on.  When we leave them to wonder, "why does she talk funny, run funny, screech, etc"  we leave them hanging to their own imaginations and that of their friends, where they concoct all sorts of  ideas, which are innocently ignorant.  They just don't know.  I welcome questions.  I welcome the opportunity for parents and children alike to ask about Kellyanne.  I like to share how she is like them and not like them.  I am not offended by honest curiosity.  I am offended by rude comments, stares, eye rolling and the like. Luckily, Kellyanne is oblivious to the fact that she is different, so maybe that's why I feel the way I do. We consider the fact that Kellyanne doesn't know she's different, a true blessing.  She will be spared the pain that my other 3 children have endured when they "didn't fit in, were ridiculed because of their differences, made fun of for who knows why....."   Now those people, I just wanted to SLAP!  Sorry.