Be Unique, Not Perfect

My title has so much meaning to me today.  We all know as adults we are far from perfect, so our children should fall under the same circumstances, right?  My youngest daughter has felt the pressure from her (old) preschool teacher of not fitting her expectation of a typical four-year old.  Her shyness gave the teacher reason to hold her back from kindergarten?!?!  My child has barely made her way into this world and already she is not meeting someone's standards.  It is beyond my way of thinking, my years of school and teaching, to believe that an adult could take a group of kiddos and want every single one to write the same way, run the same way, or speak the same way.  I am very blessed my child does not have a major handicap, but if she did, she would be loved just as much.  Every child needs encouragement to grow, not pressure to be something they're not. My daughter is not perfect.  She is what she is, and that's just fine with me.


Whew, I really had to get that off my chest.  Thank goodness our new preschool teacher is understanding and accepts my daughter for who she is.  This teacher will be getting a nice present at the end of the school year. :)

And now, it's Autism Awareness month!!!!  I want to celebrate by posting a small excerpt of a story I'm working on, "My Sunshine".  It is about a child's first glimpse of a friend with Autism.  And remember that all kiddos have special needs and need to feel special in their life!!!!

Suzy climbed up the steps of the jungle gym.  She looked over the park.  The only people she could see was a little girl and her mama sitting on a large blanket. 

It was yellow, just like Suzy's hair.  She flew down the slide, letting the wind blow her yellow curls around.

Suzy walked over the the blanket.  The mama was reading a magazine while the little girl picked at the ground.

"Hi," said Suzy.  The little girl kept her head down.  She must be shy, thought Suzy. 

"Would you like to go down the slide with me?  We can go super fast!"  Suzy was excited to have a friend to play with, but the little girl still looked at the ground.

Maybe she doesn't like to slide?  Suzy looked around the park.  The swings!  Perfect!

"How about we go swing?  Do you like to swing?" asked Suzy.  Still no answer from the little girl.  Suzy felt sad.  She wanted to make a new friend and play with her at the park. 

Suzy looked up at the sky.  The bright sunshine warmed her cheeks, turning them pink.  That's it!  I can sing her the special song mama sang to me, Suzy thought. 

She started to sing quietly.  "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.  You make me happy, when skies are gray."  The little girl looked up at Suzy for the first time.  Her eyes were brown, just like Suzy's. 

"You'll never know dear, how much I love you."  The little girl started to rock back and forth. 

"Please don't take my sunshine away."  Suzy was proud that she remembered all of the words.  "Did you like my song?" she asked.  The little girl finally smiled. 

"Can I sit and play with you?"  The little girl smiled again.  Suzy happily sat and played with her new friend.  She didn't run or swing or slide.  But she had a great day at the park.