Are We Different?

~ Laura

Jonah is on Spring Break this week. One of our weird little rituals for school vacations is a trip to IKEA for breakfast. The boy loves his lingonberries. 

Steve and I sometimes worry that Jonah has been traumatized by having a brother with special needs. Does he feel bad that his brother can't go to a regular school? Does he feel that he doesn't get enough attention? Does his brother embarrass him in front of his friends? Does it get lonely for him? Should I get him a shrink? 

On our drive to IKEA, I asked Jonah if he thought our family was different from other families. He answered quickly, YES! 

Me: Oh, yeah. How are we different? 

J: Because you make us eat healthy. We can't have sugar cereal or anything. 

Me: We're not different, because you have a brother with special needs? 

J: Nah! We're different, because we can't eat junk food.

So, I'm traumatizing him by making him eat his veggies? I'm good with that. 

Published by Laura

4 thoughts on “Are We Different?”

  1. I wonder that, too. When I go to Aspergers conferences/etc., I always gravitate towards the sibling discussions. What I’ve found is that you and I are very different in that our NT kid is the older one. For so many parents, the NT one is the younger, and the older kid is the one with AS. I even commented on it and how the panel I was attending was of no use to me whatsoever because all they were talking about is little kids and whether they are old enough to understand. Sheesh, S was 10 when E was diagnosed. I think she understands.

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  2. Btw, if you ask E how I am traumatizing him, he will say it’s because I will not let him have a DS. Maybe that will help J feel better about his traumas. 🙂

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  3. Why is this family different from all other families?
    Why is it that all other families eat either Apple Jacks or All Bran, but on this family eats only All Bran?
    Why is it that we eat all kinds of vegetables, even bitter ones (as if there was a non-bitter one)?
    Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our food even once into ranch dressing?
    Why is it that in all other families, they dine either from a cardboard bucket or from the oven, but in this family we always eat from the oven?

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