Went to the elementary school art show last night. Lots of lovely art hanging from the walls, displayed in the cafeteria and in the classrooms. Paper mache dragons. Ceramic tribal masks. Robots made from junk. Seems Charlie's series on oceanic creatures urinating in the wild didn't make the cut. Whatever. I guess the art teacher and I will agree to disagree on what is art. I didn't see one thing getting peed on.
Seeing Charlie interact with his little classmates is a major highlight for me. Especially on a night like this where there's a little red carpet buzz in the air. Kindergarten girls with their tiny voices, saying "hi Charlie," in unison as they pass him in the hallway, absolutely makes my day.
Before the school year started, I wondered how Charlie would be treated by the other children. It would destroy me if he was teased or taunted because he has diabetes. Just thinking about it right now is making my heart race. I'm thrilled to be a fly on the wall when Charlie walks into the classroom, and a trio of semi-toothless boys shout out "Charlie!" like he's Norm from Cheers.
In Charlie's classroom, we made our way over to a section of the wall where the kids' schoolwork was on display. We looked for Charlie's picture, but couldn't find it immediately. The assignment was based on the book Elmer, by David Mckee. Elmer wasn't like all of the other elephants. His bright multicolored skin made him feel different. He wanted to be grey like the others.
Scanning the wall for Charlie's, we read some of the other pictures, which asked the question: "How are you different?"
"I am different because ... I have red hair."
"I am different because ... I run fast."
"I am different because ... I'm an older brother."
I suspect you know where this is headed.
We found Charlie's.
"I am different because ... I have diabetes."
Ouch! A swift uppercut to the gut.
Susanne and I stepped away from the words like it was a poisonous snake, gathered our kids and left.
Me?
I am different because ...
At 37 years old, I still tie my shoes using the "bunny ears" method and because I have a girl's name. Oh, and I have gills.
How are you different?
