Tag - friendship

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A Trip To The Mall That Meant So Much More
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Her Special Squad
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A Soft Place To Land—A Story About Friendship

A Trip To The Mall That Meant So Much More

This post isn’t intended to be political, but his electoral “win” makes me worry about my daughter’s future. He who shall not be named doesn’t even try to hide his distain for people with disabilities. It makes me wonder if her life will be more difficult because he’s giving people the message that it’s okay to be intolerant and cruel. However, there’s a kindness army rising up against hatred and discrimination. Kids are being raised to believe in equity and love and compassion. We’re surrounded by it, basking in their warmth and inclusion.  My daughter’s school and neighbourhood friends treat her like the important person she is, worthy of respect and friendship.  Avery’s been asking to go shopping with friends for weeks. She doesn’t actually care about buying anything. It’s about the experience. And her purse. She brings it with her on special outings. Inside you’ll find her lip balm, her pretend debit card, her (bicycle) driver’s license and a handful of coins.  I drove my daughter and her two friends to our local mall to do some Christmas shopping.  I tried to stay in the background to give Avery the feeling of shopping on her own with her friends like[…]

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Her Special Squad

Kids can be cruel. They can sniff out “different” from a mile away, and sometimes they tease or isolate anyone who doesn’t fit in. As a teacher I’ve seen it. And as a parent, I’ve worried about it. But so far we’ve been blessed. I’m not a religious person so using the word blessed seems hypocritical, but it’s a fitting way to describe our experience with our daughter’s peer group. Our child stands out in class—her delayed speech, the EA who shadows her around school, her struggle to keep up, and her inability to understand—these all set her apart. But instead of shutting her out, her classmates circle around her and make her feel special in a “you belong” kind of way. Her teacher told me her friends actually bicker over who gets to take Avery to the office or who gets to partner with her for a project or stand beside her in line. I know Avery feels it. She adores her friends and talks about them with such love. As a mum, I am grateful for these compassionate kids. Their parents are obviously teaching them to treat others with respect and kindness. For that, we (personally but also[…]

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A Soft Place To Land—A Story About Friendship

I’m not calling my friends soft but, they are. Not in a doughy  “Gym? What gym?” kind of way. But in a gentle, comforting, curl up in their bosom and nestle, kind of way. Not that I curl up in their bosoms. There is absolutely no bosom nestling going on. Except for that one time at that Christmas party and it was completely innocent. Life is stressful these days. Like REALLY stressful. I have no idea why, it just is. Maybe it’s because a lot of serious stuff goes on “mid life.” Good god, we’re middle aged. I’m just going to go ahead and glaze over that statement. The pace seems to have picked up. There’s always somewhere I need to be and something I’m scrambling to catch up on. I don’t get to see my friends as much as I’d like. Mostly it’s a quickie phone call here, a funny text there. Like I said, we mid-lifers have commitments and responsibilities out the whazoo. However… If I should need a friend, I have only to reach out with a faint whimper, and as if by bat echolocation or some kind of emotional ESP, they are there—with wine and wisdom and[…]

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