The Black Hole made me cry. It's really what it feels like!
I wish we could celebrate our differences between. I'm only recently diagnosed in my mid-30s and struggled for so long. But I was also recognised all that time for some of the "exceptional" things I could do, like how I tied concepts together. People love the neurodivergent things about me, even if they don't recognise them. Imagine what I could do if I hadn't spent most of my life trying to quell huge parts of myself and beating myself up for never fitting? For being an alien.
I wish we could be far more compassionate about these differences so that our ND people could thrive and contribute and love and be loved, without it being part of someone rolling their eyes.
And even if we had nothing at all to offer, aren't we still deserving of care?
All anyone really wants is to be loved for who we are, not who others think we should be
The black hole - what an insightful, beautiful story.
I think I have some pollen in my eyes - I have a beautiful, kind son who wrote wonderful poems as long as he could dictate them because he has dyslexia. He had a cat who was his safe friend, she slept on his bed well beyond his childhood, through the bumpy, hard teen years (where yes, suicide ideation happened) -until she was 21 years old. Long live Bruce. Your boys are so lucky you are their Mama, if only all kids could have this protection and unconditional love from their parents. Its hard work but you have got this and it is all worth it to grow amazing young people.
Standing with you. Such beautiful expression of your brave, talented boy. Man that poem, talent like his mama. Thank him for letting you bare pieces of his soul.
This made me cry too… thank you for writing this. As the mum of a gorgeous 19 year old neurodivergent and physically disabled son it completely resonated. He has been bruised and battered over the years by systems that don’t get him. But we are a strong whānau and will keep loving him and fighting the system to find him his place. Your writing is so important …. Xx
Also not sure if you have heard the term ‘non-speaking’ but it’s considered by many as more accurate than ‘non-verbal’. Just following on from your problematising of ‘non-verbal’.
Thank you for writing this. That article made me so angry. Such a sensationalist and pointless 'story'. Looks like the Herald's link to their article from a few days ago is broken. Hope they've taken it down.
Coincidentally, today’s Webworm addresses the cat identification story, as an instance of sloppy or provocative/malicious use of syndicated content by our mainstream media outlets. And it looks as though the single event behind the rumours and exaggerations may itself have not happened, or not happened as widely described - it is ‘reported’, not confirmed in any way, as far back as it seems possible to trace the story.
The Black Hole is utterly wonderful - as a poem, as eloquent self-expression, and as a very powerful parable. Thank you both for sharing it!
The Black Hole made me cry. It's really what it feels like!
I wish we could celebrate our differences between. I'm only recently diagnosed in my mid-30s and struggled for so long. But I was also recognised all that time for some of the "exceptional" things I could do, like how I tied concepts together. People love the neurodivergent things about me, even if they don't recognise them. Imagine what I could do if I hadn't spent most of my life trying to quell huge parts of myself and beating myself up for never fitting? For being an alien.
I wish we could be far more compassionate about these differences so that our ND people could thrive and contribute and love and be loved, without it being part of someone rolling their eyes.
And even if we had nothing at all to offer, aren't we still deserving of care?
All anyone really wants is to be loved for who we are, not who others think we should be
Yes. Yes we are still deserving of care. We don’t have to earn it by being 2E. Xx
I wish there was a bigger ‘like’ button ...
The black hole - what an insightful, beautiful story.
I think I have some pollen in my eyes - I have a beautiful, kind son who wrote wonderful poems as long as he could dictate them because he has dyslexia. He had a cat who was his safe friend, she slept on his bed well beyond his childhood, through the bumpy, hard teen years (where yes, suicide ideation happened) -until she was 21 years old. Long live Bruce. Your boys are so lucky you are their Mama, if only all kids could have this protection and unconditional love from their parents. Its hard work but you have got this and it is all worth it to grow amazing young people.
Thanks for this post. My neurodivergent child currently identifies as a dragon. He's been a cat. He changes a lot, as does his name.
Standing with you. Such beautiful expression of your brave, talented boy. Man that poem, talent like his mama. Thank him for letting you bare pieces of his soul.
Thank you
This made me cry too… thank you for writing this. As the mum of a gorgeous 19 year old neurodivergent and physically disabled son it completely resonated. He has been bruised and battered over the years by systems that don’t get him. But we are a strong whānau and will keep loving him and fighting the system to find him his place. Your writing is so important …. Xx
❤️❤️❤️
Seems like common sense and good personal manners. Especially for kids.
Also not sure if you have heard the term ‘non-speaking’ but it’s considered by many as more accurate than ‘non-verbal’. Just following on from your problematising of ‘non-verbal’.
Thank you for writing this. That article made me so angry. Such a sensationalist and pointless 'story'. Looks like the Herald's link to their article from a few days ago is broken. Hope they've taken it down.
Coincidentally, today’s Webworm addresses the cat identification story, as an instance of sloppy or provocative/malicious use of syndicated content by our mainstream media outlets. And it looks as though the single event behind the rumours and exaggerations may itself have not happened, or not happened as widely described - it is ‘reported’, not confirmed in any way, as far back as it seems possible to trace the story.
The Black Hole is utterly wonderful - as a poem, as eloquent self-expression, and as a very powerful parable. Thank you both for sharing it!
I am parent to a neurodiverse, gender diverse teenager and that article, and the comments, made me SO angry. Thank you for writing this. It helps.
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
Thanks so much for this. And thanks especially for the shout out for us ND/autistic adults
Thank you so much for writing this ❤️