We are Different.

I am NeuroDivergent.  I was bullied in school. Having grown up feeling like a misfit, I now just do me. 

School meant feeling like an outsider. Being picked on. Being hurt. Having belongings ruined. Laughing when others joked, but never understanding what was funny. Failing in education because it was formed for academics. And never speaking out because I believed something was wrong with me.

Let's pause on that comment.

I thought something was wrong with me because others mistreated me. I became insignificant and shrunk myself. But I kept quiet. I hid it all and masked it.

I was lucky to have grown in confidence. I was lucky to have slowly found friends who were also, unknowingly, NeuroDivergent. I worked and studied in Psychological, Therapeutic and Nurturing environments.

Many do not have my luck or privilege. We stand up for our young people because they deserve better. Children are not taught to grow. They are conditioned to perform and get results in subjects they do not feel or enjoy. They are caged in environments that hurt them and tire them. They warp into shapes that do not fit them. 

And then we wonder why they are not well.

All this time, we lose or deny their individuality; we lose who they really are. This is why we fight and complain and speak up. This is why we demand inclusive child-led care, services and learning.

Let our children find their freedom, to express themselves, to be free and to find joy. Let them figure out their strengths, their beauty, and their place in life.

Let them Breathe and Be.

We are different. We are not less than.

❤❤❤❤❤