One of these things is not like the other. One of these things is not quite the same." That was a lyric from a song that played on one of the kiddies' Sesame St. videos as an accompaniment to an activity intended to teach "different" and "same" by showing similar pictures side by side. The song pops into my head from time to time when struck by images and situations where it is inappropriate to sing it out loud.This photo of two 13 year-old boys bowling, one of whom is our son and the other is a friend's son, definitely has me humming my inappropriate little song. It was hugely encouraging to hear from the parents of the other young man that some of the issues we deal with are not related to Evan's diagnosed conditions, but are simply results of being a thirteen year-old guy. It was even better not to be told what we "ought" to be doing to parent him. While the differences between our son and the other young man were glaring, the similarities were comforting because they offer demonstrable proof that we are not so far off the beaten path despite the sometime feeling of wandering in the wilderness while trying to parent Evan. The constant struggle to guide the Boy toward increasing independence without pushing him out of the nest prematurely and simultaneously trying to protect him from the perceptions of others leaves me tired.
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It is so gratifying to know you're not alone, isn't it?
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